File Transfer Protocols (FTP-TFTP-SFTP-SCP)

File Transfer Protocols

This video discusses different file transfer protocols, including FTP, TFTP, SFTP, and SCP. The video covers their uses and differences between them.

FTP

• FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol.

• FTP is used to transfer computer files between a client and a server on a network.

• FTP is not very secure because it requires a password to be entered before a transfer, which is then sent over the internet in clear text.

• Some common commands for accessing FTP through the command line interface are PWD (print working directory), which displays the current directory on the remote computer, and STATUS, which displays the current status of FTP connections.

TFTP

• TFTP stands for Trivial File Transfer Protocol.

• TFTP is primarily used for remotely booting a system without a hard drive or disk or to remotely update code.

• TFTP lacks any form of user authentication at all and has even less security than FTP.

SFTP

• SFTP stands for Secure Shell or SSH File Transfer Protocol.

• SFTP can send more detailed information than FTP when transferring files. It includes permissions relating to that file as well as date time and size.

• SFTP is much more secure than FTB because it uses the SSH protocol to increase security. A connection between systems is first established over a connection that has been secured with SSH protocol.

• SFTP can be secured with two-factor authentication.

SCP

• SCP stands for Secure Copy Protocol.

• SCP is based on the secure shell protocol and is therefore very secure. However, unlike SFTP, it is unable to remove or list file directories and cannot resume file transfers that have been interrupted.

• Common commands used in interacting with SCP in the command line are RCP (copies files to or from a remote system) and slogin (securely logs into a remote system).