SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is a secure protocol for transferring files over an encrypted SSH connection, typically on port 22. It encrypts both credentials and file contents in transit, which makes it the modern standard for secure file transfer.
SFTP runs as a subsystem of SSH. When you connect, SSH establishes an encrypted channel and authenticates you with a password or an SSH key. All file operations - listing directories, uploading, downloading, renaming, deleting - then travel through that single encrypted connection.
Because everything runs over SSH, there are no separate data and control channels to configure and no passive-mode firewall headaches like plain FTP has.
Plain FTP sends usernames, passwords, and file contents in clear text. SFTP encrypts all of it. If you are still using FTP for anything sensitive, SFTP is the drop-in secure replacement.
You can try all of this without installing anything using FlowSetu's free online SFTP client.
SFTP uses port 22 by default, the same port as SSH.
No. SFTP runs over SSH, while FTPS is traditional FTP wrapped in TLS. They are different protocols that solve similar problems.
Try the free online SFTP client — connect to any SFTP server from your browser, no install required.