FTP vs SFTP

Developers should learn FTP for scenarios involving manual file transfers, such as deploying web applications to hosting servers, managing content on legacy systems, or exchanging large files in environments where more modern protocols are unavailable 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.

FTP

Nice Pick

Developers should learn FTP for scenarios involving manual file transfers, such as deploying web applications to hosting servers, managing content on legacy systems, or exchanging large files in environments where more modern protocols are unavailable

Pros

• It remains relevant for tasks like automated backups, batch processing, and integration with older enterprise systems that rely on FTP for data exchange, though it should be used cautiously due to security limitations
• 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 FTP if: You want it remains relevant for tasks like automated backups, batch processing, and integration with older enterprise systems that rely on ftp for data exchange, though it should be used cautiously due to security limitations 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 FTP offers.

The Bottom Line

FTP wins

Developers should learn FTP for scenarios involving manual file transfers, such as deploying web applications to hosting servers, managing content on legacy systems, or exchanging large files in environments where more modern protocols are unavailable