Automated Provisioning of FTP Services Using Open-Source Tools: A Comparative Analysis of Shell, Ansible, and Chef

In modern network environments, the configuration of services such as FTP servers remains a time-intensive task, particularly when performed manually. This research addresses the challenge of reducing configuration time and minimizing errors through the implementation of an automated provisioning system using open-source tools. The main problem identified is the inefficiency and risk of misconfiguration associated with manual setups of FTP servers, especially in organizations lacking specialized personnel. The objective of this study is to develop a provisioning system capable of automating the configuration of FTP services to reduce deployment time and improve reliability. Our methodology utilized an experimental approach in a virtualized environment using VirtualBox and AlmaLinux. Three automation tools—Shell Script, Chef, and Ansible—were used to configure identical FTP servers. A sample of 245 configuration processes was analyzed using statistical techniques, including the Kolmogorov–Smirnov normality test and the Kruskal–Wallis non-parametric test, implemented in R. The results demonstrate that automated provisioning significantly reduces configuration time from 34.56 minutes manually to 2.15 minutes with Ansible (93.78% reduction), 3.49 minutes with Shell Script (89.90%), and 11.22 minutes with Chef (67.53%). Each tool performed the full configuration process, including user creation, firewall rules, and service setup. In conclusion, the implementation of automated provisioning tools markedly improves efficiency in server deployment, with Ansible offering the best performance. This contributes to Infrastructure as Code practices and supports scalable, error-reduced network service administration.