Pros and Cons of using File Transfer Protocol
Evolved in 1971 the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) emerged as the standard network protocol used for transfer of files between server and clients on a network. FTP is put up on a server- client model and uses separate control and data connections between the server and clients. For transfer purpose, FTP users may validate themselves by a sign-in protocol, generally with the help of credentials using a username and a password. There are times when the server is configured to allow users to connect anonymously. FTP being a secure transmission protocol encrypts the content and also protects the username and password. FTP is found to be secure as it is layered by a security protocol named SSL/TLS (FTPS).
Let’s look at an application of FTP first. A lot of us use FTP but we aren’t aware ‘where’ we use it. Do you know that when you open Gmail and download an attachment, you are actually using two protocols, first one being the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) for emails and another one is FTP for downloading files?
Advantages
- One of the biggest advantage of using a FTP is the ability to not only transfer more than one files but you can also transfer multiple directories at one time. FTP also permits multitasking -- you can upload whatever task you have completed and at the same time download what you plan to start working on.
- Another advantage is the ability to continue transferring files even if the connection is lost. In case you accidently lose your connection or have to reboot your system, you don't have to worry about starting right from the beginning -- you can pick up right from where you left off.
- There are a lot of FTP client softwares that enable you to schedule a file/directory transfer allowing file sharing in your own way want rather than forcing you to alter your work patterns.
- Automatic backup is the most important feature of FTP which works well for businesses such as medical practices which cannot afford to lose patients’ data under any case.
- If file sharing is a compulsion in your business then the speed at which files are transferred becomes currency in terms of a business and that is the biggest advantage of FTP. With the ability to multi-task and the lightning-fast transfer, the speed at which the file is transferred is no longer something you have to worry about.
Disadvantages:
Inspite of all the advantages of FTP, the protocol has some disadvantages too. It is a standard requirement of the industry that all FTP transmissions should be encrypted. Unfortunately, not all FTP providers are equal and not all providers offer encryption as a technology which is supported by FTP, so in such cases you will have to look out for providers that offer encryption to get the level of protection each type of data would need.
FTP is much hyped for being the best option for businesses as it basically serves two operations -- to send and receive large files on a network. However, the service has a size limit of 2 GB on files you can send. Also, the protocol wouldn't allow you to run simultaneous transfers to multiple receivers.
When talking about brute force attack, by trying possible set of password combinations repeatedly, a hacker can gain access to your FTP if your password is weak. So it is quite possible for attackers to carry out a brute force attack while they are trying to guess your FTP password.
FTP doesn't support an important operation like scheduling transfer across multiple FTP servers. As mentioned earlier, you are disabled to run simultaneous transfers using FTP.