vsftpd is a very light-weight, full-featured FTP server that can be installed and ready to use in only a couple of minutes. It's used by many huge FTP sites like RedHat, Debian, GNU, ISC and many more!

NOTE: you can use this tutorial to install vsftpd on almost any UNIX/Linux distribution, except for the step 4.

1. Installing vsftpd

Installing vsftpd is very simple. First, you need to download and extract it:


Then, you're ready to compile it:


And then to install it:


2. Configuration

vsftpd uses the /etc/vsftpd.conf configuration file. A good idea is to start with the default one:


Here's a complete reference guide to customize each options of vsftpd.conf:

http://vsftpd.beasts.org/vsftpd_conf.html

3. Start/stop vsftpd

To start vsftpd, simply run:


To stop it, you have to kill it:


4. Start vsftpd automatically on boot

To start vsftpd automatically on boot, simply create the /usr/local/etc/rc.d/vsftpd.sh file, change its mode to 755, and put this content in it:


Conclusion

vsftpd is faster than proftpd, easier to install and to configure. It's very secure, stable and flexible: try it and give me your opinion about it!

Whay did you write "FreeBSD" in the title and then posted information about generic compiling?
FreeBSD ports are the natural way to compile and install automatically, solving dependencies, putting init and configuration scripts. Oh yeah, ports rock!