FTPS vs. SFTP at a glance
| Feature | SFTP | FTPS |
|---|---|---|
| Default port | 22 | 21 (control) / 990 (implicit) |
| Encryption layer | Built‑in (SSH) | TLS/SSL on top of FTP |
| Authentication | SSH keys or passwords | X.509 certs or passwords |
| Firewall friendly | ✅ Single port | 🚧 Multiple ports (control + data) |
| Supported on Compute | Yes | No |
Why we chose SFTP
- Same key, same port – Your SSH key doubles for file transfers; no extra credentials.
- No additional firewall rules – Everything slips through port 22, even behind strict networks.
- End‑to‑end encryption – Data and commands are encrypted by default.
**Good to know: **FTPS requires opening a range of data ports, which conflicts with Compute’s default security posture.
Need an HTTPS upload instead?
Spin up a quick web server on port 8888 inside your instance:Migrating scripts from FTPS to SFTP
| Old FTPS command | SFTP replacement |
|---|---|
curl --ftp-ssl -T file.zip ftp://user@host/ | sftp user@host:~/upload <<< $'put file.zip' |
lftp -u user,pass ftps://host | sftp user@host then put/get |
rsync or scp provide shell‑friendly, encrypted transfers.
Still unsure? Drop into Discord or open the chat widget—our team’s happy to help you switch over.