What is the vsftpd's user "ftp" intended for?

Question

I have just recently installed a web server on a machine that I of course want a fpt client on as well.

I have previously worked with vsftpd, and therefore I decided to use it this time as well.

The system is a Ubuntu Server 12.04.

When I installed vsftpd I noticed that it created a new user on the machine named "ftp".

/etc/passwd have this info:

ftp:x:107:116:ftp daemon,,,:/srv/ftp:/bin/false

I am wondering: What is the purpose of this user? What is for? Is it reserved for anything, or can I change its password and then use it to access the machine via ftp? Will I break stuff if I delete it or change password for it?

Thanks in advice! :)

Answer 1

Most ftp daemons will add the "ftp" user if it doesn't already exist.

The main server will run as root, but child processes can be started as the users ftp or nobody. This is referred to as the "nopriv_user" in vsftpd documentation.

Changing the password should not break it. Deleting it may cause damage depending on your settings.