SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) isn’t necessarily known for speed, but by tweaking buffer sizes, increasing connections, reducing latency and considering regional factors, you can maximize your transfer efficiency. Still, if performance is a priority, Files.com’s native solutions provide a faster, more reliable alternative to SFTP.

However, if you’re required to use SFTP due to vendor or counterparty requirements, don’t worry—there are still ways to optimize your SFTP performance. Below, we outline the key strategies to ensure your SFTP transfers run as efficiently as possible.

Increase Your SFTP Buffer Size

Most SFTP clients send data in 32 KB chunks, which is far too small given today’s internet speeds. Increasing this size can drastically improve performance.

How to Adjust Buffer Size:

Command-line users: Use the -B option to increase the buffer size. Example:

css 

sftp -B 128000 username@MYCOMPANY.files.com

GUI-based clients: Look for settings related to "buffer size" or "data chunk size" and increase the value 4–32x for better throughput.

Use Multiple Parallel Connections

One of the biggest bottlenecks in SFTP is single-threaded file transfers. Increasing the number of simultaneous connections can greatly improve transfer speeds when handling multiple files.

How to Enable Parallel Transfers:

FileZilla:

• Go to Edit > Settings > Transfers
• Increase Maximum Simultaneous Transfers to 10-25

Cyberduck:

• Navigate to Edit > Preferences > Transfers
• Set Transfer Files to "Open multiple connections"
• Under Window > Transfers increase the number in the lower-right corner.

Reduce Network Latency

SFTP performance is heavily affected by network latency, the delay between sending data and receiving a response. The higher the latency, the slower your transfer speeds.

How to Minimize Latency:

✔️ Use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi.
✔️ Avoid unnecessary VPNs or proxies that route traffic through distant servers.
✔️ Connect to the closest server region to your location.

For example, if you're in Europe and your SFTP destination is also in Europe, but your VPN is routing traffic through the U.S., your transfer speeds will suffer significantly.

Consider Multi-Region and Custom Domain Impacts

If your organization uses multi-region file storage with SFTP, performance can vary depending on where files are located.

🔹 Accessing files across multiple regions? Switch to Files.com CLI, SDK, or Desktop App for better optimization.
🔹 Using a custom domain? Note that custom domains are hosted in a single region, which can lead to performance issues if you're accessing them from another region.

Pro Tip:

If SFTP speeds are slow when using your custom domain, test a connection to app.files.com instead. This may significantly reduce network latency and improve performance.

Optimize for Large-Scale Transfers

• If you're frequently moving large files or handling cross-region transfers, SFTP may not be the best tool. Instead, consider using:
• Files.com Desktop App – Optimized for speed and efficiency.
• Files.com API/SDKs – Best for automated high-volume transfers.

By using a more advanced file transfer method, you can bypass SFTP’s built-in limitations and achieve faster, more reliable performance.