Secure File Transfer Protocol (SSH File Transfer Protocol)

Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), also called SSH File Transfer Protocol, is a network protocol for accessing, transferring and managing files on remote systems.

SFTP allows businesses to securely transfer billing data, funds and data recovery files. SFTP uses SSH to transfer files and requires that the client be authenticated by the server. Commands and data are encrypted in order to prevent passwords and other sensitive information from being exposed to the network in plain text. 

SFTP was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to securely transfer and manage files over a TCP/IP network. SFTP uses the same commands as the standard file transfer protocol (FTP).