Here's a real-life example: SFTP is the newer, more secure version of FTP. They both are a way to send a file from one system to another. SFTP just ensures the contents of the file are encrypted while transported from one system to the other so no hacker can steal the data.
In a current system, the data is encrypted before sending it over FTP, and then we decrypt it when we receive it.
If we switch the process to SFTP, will the original data still be encrypted before sending? Meaning we'd still need to decrypt it when we receive it. Or, will they now send it unencrypted, knowing that SFTP will encrypt it in transit? Meaning we would no longer need to decrypt it when we received it.
If we try to decrypt a file that wasn't encrypted in the first place, the data won't be readable. But if we don't decrypt the file and it is still encrypted, the data won't be readable, either.
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branchandroot
FTP vs SFTP
Date: 2025-05-27 10:42 pm (UTC)SFTP is the newer, more secure version of FTP. They both are a way to send a file from one system to another. SFTP just ensures the contents of the file are encrypted while transported from one system to the other so no hacker can steal the data.
In a current system, the data is encrypted before sending it over FTP, and then we decrypt it when we receive it.
If we switch the process to SFTP, will the original data still be encrypted before sending? Meaning we'd still need to decrypt it when we receive it. Or, will they now send it unencrypted, knowing that SFTP will encrypt it in transit? Meaning we would no longer need to decrypt it when we received it.
If we try to decrypt a file that wasn't encrypted in the first place, the data won't be readable. But if we don't decrypt the file and it is still encrypted, the data won't be readable, either.
- Jill