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Networking Fundamentals · Foundational

SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)

A secure file transfer protocol that runs as a subsystem of SSH over TCP port 22.

Definition

SFTP encrypts both authentication and data and uses a single connection, so it passes firewalls easily. It is unrelated to FTP despite the name. SCP also uses SSH on port 22.

Example

sftp user@server.example.com transfers files over port 22.

Exam tip

SFTP uses port 22 (SSH); FTPS uses 989/990 or explicit TLS on 21.

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