Implementing virtual users and directories in standalone mode on VSFTP

In this recipe we will learn how to implement virtual users in order to break away from the restriction of using local system accounts, enable standalone mode for significant performance gains, and improve the overall security of VSFTP.

During the lifetime of your server there may be occasions when you wish to enable FTP authentication for a user that does not have a local system account. You may also want to consider implementing a solution that allows a particular individual to maintain more than one username password in order to allow access to different locations on your server. This type of configuration implies a certain degree of flexibility afforded by the use of virtual users and because you are not using a local system account it can be argued that this approach offers improved security.

Getting ready

To complete this recipe you will require a working installation of the CentOS 6 operating system with root privileges...