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Knowledge base · Standards & protocols

What is SFTP?

SFTP is a secure way to exchange files between systems. Below you can read how it works and what it is used for.

In short

SFTP is a secure way to exchange files between systems, an encrypted variant of FTP. It is widely used for automatically delivering CSV, XML or EDI files, especially with systems that do not have a modern API.

Exchanging files securely

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is an encrypted way to transfer files between two systems. It is the secure successor to the old FTP: username, password and the files themselves travel encrypted, so no one can read along on the way.

In practice, one system places a file on an SFTP server, and the other retrieves it there. Think of a daily export of orders, stock or invoices as a CSV, XML or EDI file.

When SFTP?

SFTP is ideal for systems that do not have a modern API, or for large batches you exchange periodically. We connect the file flow to your ERP and process the contents automatically, so that a file no longer has to be read in by hand.

Related concepts

How we help you with this.

From concept to a working solution. This is what connects to it.

EDI integration

Message traffic via SFTP, AS2 or OFTP2 with all your trading partners.

Data integration

File exchange via SFTP connected and processed automatically.

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In a free one-hour process scan, we look at your systems and the manual work between them. After that, a fixed-fee quote. No surprises afterwards.