Using [curlftpfs][1]
It is also possible to store the username and password in a safe location readable only by root.
You can put the user and password in a .netrc file in the home directory of the user that executes CurlFtpFS. It can have 600 permission. It's still clear text but at least is not accessible by all.
The format is:machine ftp.host.com login myuser password mypass
curlftpfs on [archlinux wiki][3]
Replace the $VARIABLES with the actual values for your use case.
/etc/systemd/system/data-ftp-server.mount
[Unit]
Description=My FTP server (ftp.server.tld)
After=network.target
[Mount]
What=curlftpfs#ftp.server.tld
Where=/data/ftp/server
Type=fuse
Options=rw,nosuid,uid=$UID,gid=$GID,allow_other,user=$FTPUSER:$FTPPASS
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target