Because File Transfer Protocol (FTP) cannot guarantee security, it's recommended to use SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). SFTP provides file access, transfer, and management tools that resemble FTP through a secure SSH connection. However, SFTP is not merely FTP over SSH. Instead, it is an entirely separate protocol.
SFTP clients typically require the following information to connect to a server:
- Hostname - that's the server's hostname or IP address.
Example: hostname.example.com
- SSH port number - the port number on which sshd listens.
Example: 22
- Security -whether the client combines FTP and SFTP functionality.
Example: SFTP
- Username - the SSH username that the client uses to connect to the server.
Example: root
Note: You cannot use an FTP account to connect via SFTP.
- Password - the SSH user's password.
- Private Key - the absolute path to a private key file on your local computer.
Example: c:\data\id_dsa
cPanel users can generate and download a private key via cPanel's interface (cPanel > Home > Security > SSH Access).
The root user can generate and download a private key via WHM's interface (WHM > Home > Security Center > Manage root's SSH Keys).
Note:
You may see a warning that the server's host key is unknown. To ensure that this message does not display again, accept the key and store it on your local computer.