FTP / SFTP Overview

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a technology that transfers files more efficiently than standard HTML web browsers, decreasing upload and download times anywhere from 20-60%.  

Egnyte is compatible with most FTP clients and supports the following:

• FTP (File Transfer Protocol over implicit TLS/SSL)
• FTPES (File Transfer Protocol over explicit TLS/SSL)
• SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)

FTP/SFTP is a technology that transfers files in an easy-to-configure manner, albeit with some security limitations. For reliable FTP/SFTP transfer experience, file and folders dataset uploads should not exceed 50 GB of total size and a single file upload should not exceed a file size of 10 GB.

Not sure how to go about moving the data? Learn more about Egnyte's migration services.

Enable FTP/SFTP

• To configure FileZilla for FTP access, it is necessary to enable FTP and/or enable SFTP from settings in the Web UI. 
• Administrators control who can use SFTP in Settings → Configuration → Applications: Admins only, Admins & Power Users, or Admins & Assigned Users. With Admins & Assigned Users, administrators can grant access to specific Power Users through custom roles. See Role-Based Administration.

Limitations

• Only password authentication is allowed. We do not support key-based authentication. SFTP additionally supports authenticator app-based MFA for Admins and Power Users. ​​Password authentication is the default, Administrators can instead require SSH public key authentication for the whole domain.​   

  For security reasons, there is a limit of failed authentication attempts per user and further login attempts will be temporarily blocked. Wait for some time before trying again with the correct credentials 

• We do not support the ASCII transfer mode, so please use the Binary mode instead.
• We do not support Active Transfer Mode, so please use Passive Transfer Mode when setting up the client.
• If the domain uses a firewall, please review the Egnyte Public IP Address article to see which IP addresses need to be allowed.
• Access is limited to Admins and Power Users on the Office, Business, or Enterprise plans.
• Trial users on these plans are limited to uploading 1GB total via SFTP/FTP. 
• FTP is an inherently insecure data transfer method. For all files sent using this protocol, username, password and even the data are all shared in plain text. This means any hacker can access this information with a minimum of effort. For secure data transfer, choose FTPS or SFTP.
• FTP may not meet compliance requirements. Using FTP with inadequate security could leave business at risk for noncompliance fines. If business is concerned with compliance regulations such as SOX, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, ITAR or the like, it might be challenging to find an FTP solution that is sufficiently secure. 
• FTP is not 100% reliable with regard file integrity, and it's difficult to validate whether a file has been mishandled or corrupted after being transferred.
• FTP rarely offers the ability to track and validate what's been uploaded to the remote system. If files are mishandled or a data breach occurs, users may struggle to track the source of the problem. 
• FTP does not offer visibility into the progress of the data transfer. This may not be important for smaller batch uploads. But with an interactive User Interface like that offered by Egnyte's Migration App, users can view progress (or lack thereof) in real time, which offers significant advantages for larger migration projects.
• There is a four-hour time limit on single file upload via FTP.
• FTP is limited to seven simultaneous uploads.
• FTP cannot be used on folders with more than 15K child items.

Recommended FTP/SFTP Clients For Windows and Mac

• FileZilla (Windows and Mac)
• CyberDuck (Mac)
• WinSCP (Windows)
• Fetch (Mac)
• Command Line Linux/Mac SFTP client

Frequently Asked Questions

Refer FAQ article for more details