SFTP vs FTPS vs FTP: Choosing the Right Protocol

Sooner or later every administrator has to pick: SFTP, FTPS, or plain FTP? The answer shapes firewall rules, credential management, partner onboarding, and audit conversations for years — and the internet is full of comparison articles that gloss over the details that actually decide it.

This series is the honest version: the real security and operational differences, the firewall's point of view, when plain FTP is still barely acceptable, a partner-exchange decision framework, migration paths off FTP, and what performance testing actually shows.

Articles in This Series

• SFTP vs FTPS: The Definitive Admin's Comparison
  Security model, ports, authentication, automation friendliness — scored.
• When Plain FTP Is Still (Barely) Acceptable — and How to Contain It
  The shrinking list of legitimate cases and the compensating controls.
• One Port vs Many: The Three Protocols from the Firewall's Point of View
  Rule complexity, NAT behavior, and why network admins have a favorite.
• Choosing a Protocol for Partner Exchange: A Decision Framework
  Partner capability, compliance expectations, and three worked examples.
• Migrating Scripts and Users from FTP to SFTP or FTPS
  Inventory, conversion patterns, parallel runs, and cutover without breakage.
• Speed, Resume, and Reliability Compared: What Testing Actually Shows
  Throughput factors, large-file behavior, and a reproducible benchmark method.

Explore More Topics

This series is part of the Sysax file transfer topic library, which covers the protocols, security practices, automation techniques, and operational skills behind reliable file transfer. The library pairs well with the practical tools we build: Sysax Multi Server, a secure FTP, FTPS, SFTP, and HTTPS server for Windows, and Sysax FTP Automation, which schedules and scripts secure transfers so the routine ones run themselves.