Difference between File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is a protocol which is used to transfer or copies the file from one host to another host. But there may be some problems like different file name and different file directory while sending and receiving file in different hosts or systems. And in FTP, secure channel is not provided to transfer the files between the hosts or systems. It is used in port no-21.
SFTP stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol. It is a protocol that provides the secure channel, to transfer or copies the file from one host to another host or systems. SFTP establishes the control connection under SSH protocol and It is used in port no-22.
There are some differences between them which are given below:
| S.NO | FTP | SFTP |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | It stands for File Transfer Protocol. | It stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol. |
| 2. | In FTP, secure channel is not provided to transfer the files between the hosts. | In SFTP, secure channel is provided to transfer the files between the hosts. |
| 3. | It is a part of TCP/IP protocol. | It is a SSH protocol. |
| 4. | It usually runs on port no-21. | It runs on port no-22. |
| 5. | It establishes the connection under TCP protocol. | It establishes the control connection under SSH protocol. |
| 6. | It does not encrypt the data before sending. | It encrypted data before sending. |
| 7. | It works on direct method for file transfer. | It works on tunneling method for transferring of files. |
| 8. | It makes uploading and downloading of files without any security. | It maintains full security of the data by using SSH keys. |
| 9. | It uses two channels. | While; SFTP uses only one channel. |
| 10. | It doesn’t require any authentication. | While in SFTP, the user needs to authenticate the FTP client with a username and password or SSH keys. |
| 11. | FTP is faster. | It is slower compared to FTP. |
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