Especially regarding directory listings, which is quite a challenge with FTP because there is no normalized way for an FTP server to respond to a client requesting a list. It still does essentially the same job, but securely, and with better compatibility and formality than FTP. In fact, SFTP is completely different from FTP. SSH is an encrypted and secure communication protocol, and it provides an extension to transfer files. SFTP stands for SSH File Transfer Protocol. This allows old clients to access a server in the old insecure way, although the server administrator could forbid it, then allows new clients to negotiate a secure connection.
#Ssh secure file transfer client upgrade#
The connection starts normally over an insecure connection and then the client can try to upgrade the connection to an encrypted one using FTP extended commands. But it has the disadvantage of requiring that the client is aware of SSL and thus breaks compatibility with old clients. This provides the advantage that the FTP protocol can be used after the connection is established: it will be implicitly encrypted by the SSL connection. Implicit FTPS starts by a security negotiation and then uses the FTP protocol normally over the encrypted connection. This usage of SSL can be done in two ways, it can be either implicit, or explicit. It is the same protocol as FTP, but adds a security layer through the use of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). FTPS (implicit vs explicit)įTPS stands for FTP over SSL. These terms can be quite confusing for a new user, and even amongst aficionados. This is where several flavors of FTP appeared: FTPS, SFTP, FTP over SSH. This is why it was necessary to improve on FTP and add security to encrypt the network traffic as well as authenticate both the client and the server. FTP accounts need passwords for access, but those passwords are transferred in the clear and it would be easy for an attacker to get them by watching the network traffic. Since then, things have changed and security has become a serious concern. It is an age old protocol that has been designed in a time where the only network users were computer nerds (like me!) and whose only malice was to create more software. When starting a conversation about FTPS, SFTP or **FTP over SSH, **it might quickly get confusing, so I thought I would clear that up and give a little crash course about it!įTP, or File Transfer Protocol, is a rather standard way to transfer files over a network, and even over the internet. We all know how sometimes between geeks we can start a discussion and quickly realize that those outside of our little group seems somewhat confused about our conversation.
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