file transfer (FT)
A file transfer( FT) is a process in which a file is copied from one computer to another or between a server and a client. A file transfer can take place with two computers standing next to each other via the USB interface, a USB stick or another storage medium.
The situation is different for file transfers over networks, where there is a physical distance between the server and the client. In such a file transfer, the file is first divided and then transferred using a transfer protocol and a transport protocol.
There are various file transfer protocols that differ in functionality and, most importantly, in the unsecured and secured transfer of the control data and the user data. File transfer protocols with low functionality include the Trivial File Transfer Protocol( TFTP), a simple transfer protocol with low functionality that has no security mechanisms and transfers data via the connectionless User Datagram Protocol( UDP), and the Simple File Transfer Protocol( SFTP), a 1984 proposal that has more functionality than the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) but also transfers data unsecured.
The most well-known file transfer protocol is the FTP protocol, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), which also works without encryption and therefore has weak points in data security. The first version of the FTP protocol dates back to 1971, and the current version dates back to 1985. Various security-related additions have been developed for this widely used protocol. These include Secure FTP, which provides secure transfer of FTP control data, SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), which uses transport protocols to establish the secure connection, and FTP over SSL, which uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to establish a secure tunnel.
In addition to the aforementioned file transfer protocols, there is also Anonymous FTP( AFTP) and Secure Copy Protocol( SCP), which transfers files over a secure SSH connection.