File Transfer Protocol vs SFTP

Developers should learn FTP for scenarios involving legacy system maintenance, simple file transfers in controlled environments, or when working with web hosting services that rely on it for uploading website files meets developers should learn and use sftp when they need to securely transfer files between systems, such as deploying code to production servers, backing up data, or managing remote file systems in cloud environments. Here's our take.

File Transfer Protocol

Nice Pick

Developers should learn FTP for scenarios involving legacy system maintenance, simple file transfers in controlled environments, or when working with web hosting services that rely on it for uploading website files

Pros

• It is particularly useful in situations where security is not a primary concern, such as internal networks or for transferring non-sensitive data, but its lack of encryption makes it unsuitable for modern secure applications
• Related to: tcp-ip, network-protocols

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

SFTP

Developers should learn and use SFTP when they need to securely transfer files between systems, such as deploying code to production servers, backing up data, or managing remote file systems in cloud environments

Pros

• It is essential for scenarios requiring encrypted file transfers over untrusted networks, like handling sensitive configuration files, logs, or user data, and is commonly integrated into CI/CD pipelines, automated scripts, and server administration tasks
• Related to: ssh, file-transfer

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use File Transfer Protocol if: You want it is particularly useful in situations where security is not a primary concern, such as internal networks or for transferring non-sensitive data, but its lack of encryption makes it unsuitable for modern secure applications and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use SFTP if: You prioritize it is essential for scenarios requiring encrypted file transfers over untrusted networks, like handling sensitive configuration files, logs, or user data, and is commonly integrated into ci/cd pipelines, automated scripts, and server administration tasks over what File Transfer Protocol offers.

The Bottom Line

File Transfer Protocol wins

Developers should learn FTP for scenarios involving legacy system maintenance, simple file transfers in controlled environments, or when working with web hosting services that rely on it for uploading website files