Overview

In this post, you'll learn how to set up a HTTPS file transfer. We'll begin with a Quick Start, where you'll use the default settings in order to get a HTTPS file transfer service up and running with just a few clicks. After that, we'll tackle some of the more advanced settings so you can choose your desired set of SSL/TLS cipher suites and server key. Your choice of cipher suites and keys will have an effect on the security of your HTTPS file sharing and its compatibility with your users' web browsers.

Overview

A couple of weeks ago, we compared the advantages and disadvantages of using Amazon S3 and local storage as file storage system for JSCAPE MFT Server. For those who want to try storing their file transfer server end user files on Amazon S3, this post is for you.

When you first launch your web file transfer service on JSCAPE MFT Server, you'll notice that the web user interface has the JSCAPE branding starting from the login screen and continuing inside. You can actually customize that and make it your own.

An Overview of HMAC

Data integrity checks are vital to secure communications. They enable communicating parties to verify the integrity and authenticity of the messages they receive. In secure file transfer protocols like FTPS, SFTP, and HTTPS, data integrity/message authentication is usually achieved through a mechanism known as HMAC (Hash-based message authentication code). In this post, we explain what HMAC is, its basic inner workings, and how it secures data transfers.

When I first read about HSTS, my first reaction was, "What's this? A replacement for HTTPS? Considering the ubiquity of HTTPS, shouldn't we be working to improve it first instead of replacing it?" Turned out, my initial understanding of HTTP Strict Transport Security was off the mark.

Of all file transfer services, perhaps the easiest is using HTTP/S as a file transfer service, a.k .a. a web file transfer service. That's because users don't have to install anything. They'll only need to upload or download files from your service for a web browser. If you're using JSCAPE MFT Server, setting up an HTTP/HTTPS file transfer service is also easy.

JSCAPE is a managed file transfer protocol solution that supports any protocol and platform. Fully scalable and flexible, JSCAPE's managed FTP server enables users to handle multiple protocols (FTPS, SFTP, AS2, and OFTP, as well as SSH and SSL/TLS) from a single server. This makes it possible to simplify enterprise file transfers and improve compliance with two-factor authentication.

JSCAPE allows users to meet enterprise file-sharing needs, including HTTP file transfers. Let me show you how it's done.

As you scout for the most cost-effective way of transmitting files with your business units and trading partners, among the many file sharing solutions that will likely stand out are free FTP servers. Most of these software applications are already bundled (or readily available through repositories) in operating systems like Linux, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows, so they likely don't require additional costs ... or so it seems.

Not everyone using your web file transfer server needs to have a user account. There can be instances when it's perfectly fine for a user to just carry out an anonymous file upload. Meaning, that user doesn't have to login. This set up can be useful in cases where an outsider just needs to do a one-off upload. We'll show you how to enable that functionality on JSCAPE MFT Server.

Overview

How do you strengthen a server's user authentication system? Well, one solution would be to add another authentication method. Most servers authenticate users through the usual username-password technique. If you can augment that with another method, you'll be able to make it more difficult for unauthorized users to break in. For servers whose users connect through Web browsers, one option would be something called client certificate authentication. Let's explore what this is.

If a client encounters problems when connecting to your FTP server, one of the first things you might want to check is your FTP data transfer mode. Depending on specific network configurations, this mode should be active or passive. In this post, you’ll understand the salient points of active and passive FTP and learn how to avoid associated connectivity issues.

Before discussing which mode is best for what scenario, let’s first cover one crucial topic: the two channels of an FTP session.