OpenWrt on 4g Router/Modem FTP through web server

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

I am using a 4g router/modem that has onboard storage and is running OpenWRT.
We have installed vsftpd and are sending image files to the FTP onboard.
We need to add the ability to remotely access the FTP server via web server with TLS.

What is the best way to accomplish this? I have found a lot of info around it but nothing quite like it and I am a noob at OpenWRT in general.

Thank you!!

2

Meaning the files in its data store, or control of the FTP daemon?

If for accessing files, I generally use nginx with appropriate config and, if needed, modules for more than basic directory-index generation or access control. On the other hand, I only run servers of that nature on OSes better tailored for exposure to the Internet or wireless and never on my security infrastructure itself.

3

I may be having trouble following all of that, sorry noob.

Yes just retrieving the files remotely, no need to make changes to the FTP or stored files.

I just want the simplest way to do that function securely as I have quite a few devices I need to deploy so I want to make sure it is a - easy to replicate, b - easy to perform the securing process

4

My first choice would be NextCloud running on a "dedicated" server behind your firewall -- which might be as simple as a Raspberry Pi-class device or a VM running on an "always up" box (and forgo FTP and all of its problems entirely). FreeBSD or Debian (or similar, "server-grade") OS would be my recommendation. NextCloud as it handles upload as well as the access control more simply than writing or deploying simpler plug-ins to nginx.

My second choice would be nginx as a web server and SFTP/SCP/rsync as the upload mechanism, also running on a dedicated server.

If you insisted on running on OpenWrt, nginx would also be my choice, though far from a preferred choice compared to running on an OS intended for server use.

If you do run on OpenWrt, I'd suggest a USB-attached SSD or at least a USB 3 stick, as flash memory has a very short lifespan, measured in the thousands of re-write operations.

5

Thank you for the info!