SFTP vs. FTPS: The Key Differences

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With so many options for transferring files, it can be confusing to answer the most important question: what is the best way to secure your company’s data during transfer?

Use this article as an introduction to the differences between two mainstream secure FTP protocols, SFTP and FTPS, and which is the best choice to protect your file transfers.

What's the Difference: SFTP vs. FTPS

Both FTPS and SFTP offer strong protection through authentication options that FTP can’t provide.

Why Should You Choose One Over the Other? SFTP vs. FTPS Ports

One major difference between FTPS and SFTP is how they use ports.

SFTP needs only a single port number for all SFTP communications, making it easy to secure.

FTPS uses multiple port numbers. The first port for the command channel is used for authentication and passing commands. However, every time a file transfer request or directory listing request is made, another port number needs to be opened for the data channel.

You and your trading partners will therefore have to open a range of ports in your firewalls to allow for FTPS connections, which can be a security risk for your network.

Know Your Terms: GoAnywhere Glossary

Key Differences Between SFTP vs FTPS

While Both Protocols Have their Benefits, We Recommend SFTP

We recommend SFTP thanks to its better usability with firewalls. For an enterprise, it is ideal to have a managed file transfer (MFT) solution that can manage, monitor, and automate file transfers using a variety of protocols, including FTPS and SFTP.

Our MFT software, GoAnywhere MFT, runs on multiple platforms, including Microsoft Azure (for organizations using the cloud), Microsoft Windows, and Linux. Secure file transfer protocols have additional features like detailed audit logs to help you comply with industry regulations, is flexible if you exchange data with trading partners that have different requirements, and can automate file encryption, workflows, and other data transfer processes.

FTP vs. FTPS: Can I Just Use FTP?

FTP is a popular file transfer method that has been around longer than the world wide web—and it hasn’t changed much since it’s invention. Back then, it was usually assumed that internet activity was not malicious, so FTP wasn’t created as a secure file transfer protocol to deal with the kind of cybersecurity threats we now see in the news every day.

How FTP Works

FTP exchanges data using two separate channels known as the command channel and data channel. With FTP, both channels are unencrypted, leaving any data sent over these channels vulnerable to being intercepted and read.

What Makes FTP Unsecure?

Even if a man-in-the-middle attack is a risk that you are personally willing to take, industry requirements such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and others require data transfers to be encrypted. Unfortunately, despite escalating security risks and the high cost of non-compliance, FTP is actually growing in popularity.

When it comes to selecting a transfer method between FTP vs. SFTP or FTP vs. FTPS, we highly recommend you avoid the basic FTP protocol and choose a more secure option.