FTP (Outbound to a Remote)
Connect an external FTP or FTPS server when your organization or a partner provides that endpoint for file exchange. Files.com signs in as the remote account and performs the operations its permissions allow. A Mount exposes the remote working files; a Sync transfers a separate copy between locations.
FTPS protects an FTP connection with TLS. It is separate from SFTP, which uses SSH. FTP and FTPS also use separate command and data connections, so a successful login does not prove that listings or file transfers can complete.
Connection Details
Select FTP when adding a Remote Server. Match the hostname, port, and SSL mode to the service specified by its operator. A port convention alone does not establish which protocol or encryption mode the endpoint runs.
| Setting | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Hostname | A fully qualified domain name or IP address, without a protocol prefix or folder path. It must be reachable from the connection's selected route. |
| Port | Normally 21 for explicit FTPS or plain FTP, and 990 for implicit FTPS. Use the remote service's actual port. |
| Username and Password | Credentials for the remote account. FTP does not use SSH/SFTP private keys. |
Credentials can be entered directly or selected from the Remote Server Credential Manager. The remote account's rights must cover listing and the required reads, uploads, replacements, moves, or deletions. Files.com folder permissions do not expand those remote rights.
SSL/TLS Modes
Select a required TLS mode when the remote service supports it. Explicit and implicit FTPS differ in when TLS begins, so the setting must match the endpoint.
| SSL Choice | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Require SSL (Explicit) | Starts an FTP control connection, then upgrades it to TLS before authentication. Normally port 21. |
| Require SSL (Implicit) | Starts TLS immediately. Normally port 990. |
| Use If Available | Uses TLS when available but permits an unencrypted connection otherwise. |
| Never use | Sends credentials, commands, and contents without TLS. |
By default, Files.com verifies the certificate's hostname, validity period, and trust chain. Keep verification enabled. Allowing non-matching or untrusted certificates removes checks that establish the remote service's identity even if the connection remains encrypted. Have the operator correct an unexpected certificate failure rather than disabling verification. TLS negotiates mutually supported ciphers.
Network and Passive Data Connections
The remote firewall must permit the source addresses used by this connection on both its control port and its passive data-port range. Dedicated-IP routing can use the site's default addresses or an eligible Custom Domain's addresses. Give the operator every address displayed for the selected route.
For a private server, Agent routing makes the connection from the Agent's network. Its access to the remote control and data ports is still required.
Files.com uses passive mode for outbound FTP and FTPS. The control connection handles authentication and commands, while separate data connections carry directory listings and file contents. For each data connection, the remote FTP server selects a port from its configured passive (PASV) range and returns an address and port in its PASV reply.
Files.com uses the advertised port. If the advertised IP address is public and permitted, Files.com uses that address, even if it differs from the control-connection host. If the address is not public, such as a private, loopback, or link-local address, or is not a valid IP address, Files.com uses the control-connection host instead, on the advertised port. This rule applies automatically to every outbound FTP and FTPS Remote Server and cannot be changed in the connection settings.
This supports servers behind network address translation (NAT) that advertise a private address: Files.com reaches their data ports through the same host used for login. The remote operator must still forward and allow the passive ports at that host. When the server advertises a permitted public address, that address must be reachable from Files.com. Allowing only the control port permits login but leaves listings and transfers unable to complete.
Ask the remote operator for the passive-port range configured on their server and allow the entire range. Different transfers can use different ports, so opening only the port used by one successful test is insufficient. This range belongs to the remote FTP server; Files.com's inbound FTP data-port range does not apply to this outbound connection.
Concurrent Connections
Max connections controls parallel connections to the remote FTP service. The recommended default is 25; reduce it when the remote operator requires a lower limit or the service cannot sustain the combined workload. More connections help only while the destination has capacity to serve them.
Count work from all Mounts, Syncs, Automations, and other applications using the same destination account. Files.com makes a best effort to honor the setting, although brief bursts can exceed it during connection transitions. The remote service's limits and any popular-counterparty limits still apply.
Staging Folder for Move-Based Operations
Use Moves To Emulate Atomic Uploads to FTP uploads into a staging folder on the remote system, then moves the completed file to the final destination. A receiving application can watch its pickup folder without seeing the file while the upload is in progress.
The account needs permission to write into the staging location and move the completed file. Keep staging outside the application's pickup path. The remote service's behavior determines the atomicity of the final operation.