FTP-storage has certain features that others do not have: breakdown of each link into separate channels, the capacity to distinguish extensions, operating a bunch of usernames and passwords for authorization, transfer of data not only in text but even in binary form.
What is it needed for
The main thing for which it is used is the exchange of information. But this is only part of what FTP is intended for. It can also act as a repository of information of any volume and content, whether video or photo. A huge amount of information used by people daily is in ftp repositories. These are electronic versions of books, films, videos, music, documents, etc.
Although FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, it may also perform operations directly with the operating system, such as renaming or creating new folders, directories, etc.
Advantages
Among the advantages we can distinguish:
- using FTP makes it possible to download and upload various types of information from any PC;
- remote administration and editing directories;
- a large number of clients facilitate the work;
- ability to execute commands: create, edit, and delete directories and files;
- the ability to restrict users’ rights to specific types of operations and the creation of black/white lists, if necessary.
Connection Features
Since it was developed back in 1971, there have been a large number of vulnerabilities. This is because initially, FTP cannot encrypt traffic, theoretically allowing anyone who intercepts packages to see the commands, passwords, and usernames transmitted per session.The solution to this problem was using more reliable TLS secure versions. There are several secure transfer methods, so exactly how FTP works depends on the connection. FTPS is an extension that prevents you from connecting if the session is not encrypted. Today it is slightly obsolete due to SSL or TLS, which leads to the need to use non-standard ports.
SFTP is often categorized as FTP because it uses the same syntax. However, it uses Secure Shell, making it possible to encrypt all traffic sent. This makes it impossible for a normal FTP server to interact with an SFTP customer and vice versa. It also operates a separate standard port.
FTP over SSH is a way to tunnel a regular session over SSH. An easier way to secure the exchange, but it can be tricky with multiple connections since it operates one port for both the tunnel and data transfer.
What is an FTP client?
Such applications are a graphical or text shell containing the fields required to create a session, such as a name, password, address, and server port. Thus, they allow interaction with both the host and the local machine.
Initially, FTP clients were exclusively console-based and required a high level of interaction with the operating system or file system from the user. Today, most popular applications have an intuitive visual interface that makes them easy to work with.
Conclusion
FTP turns your server into a guide that allows you to work with files conveniently. FTP is easy to learn and makes it possible to implement complex and simple tasks and confirm access to services for collecting statistics.