If you are planning to integrate your external post-production vendor via an FTP server, this article will explain the Protocols currently supported by Creative Force.
Supported Protocols
Depending on how your vendor sets up their FTP servers, you can select how Creative Force will access their servers.
When adding a post-production vendor with the FTP connection type, you will see three different connection protocols that we currently support:
Abbreviated | Full |
FTP | File Transfer Protocol |
SFTP | Secure Shell File Transfer Protocol |
SFTP + Key | Secure Shell File Transfer Protocol with Private Key |
In the sections below, we will walk through the details and additional configuration options when choosing each protocol.
FTP
The standard protocol connection– choosing this option also unlocks additional encryption options.
When selecting FTP as the protocol, you will find three encryption types that can be selected for how encryption will be handled.
Encryption Type | Overview |
TLS/SSL Explicit encryption (FTPES) | This approach enables explicit TLS support by upgrading an FTP connection to an encrypted connection.
This is a commonly used approach by web and file sharing services to enable secure file transfers. |
TLS/SSL Implicit encryption (FTPS) | Also called 'FTP Secure,' sometimes referred to as FTP Secure Sockets Layer (FTP-SSL)
This approach enables implicit Transport Layer Security (TLS) as soon as an FTP connection is established.
FTPS was initially used to help enable a more secure form of FTP data transfer. |
Plain FTP
| This is a basic FTP service, and requires the use of a username and password.
Besides the credential handshake, the service is not otherwise encrypted or secure.
|
For this reason, it is not generally recommended to select this encryption.
SFTP: SSH
SFTP is a subset of the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol. SSH is commonly used by systems administrators to remotely and securely access systems and applications, and SFTP provides a mechanism within SSH for secure file transfer.
Due to the inherent additional security of the technology type, additional encryption options are not necessary when this is selected.
SFTP: SSH + Private Key
This is a more secure method to authenticate Creative Force’s identity and rights to access your vendor’s server.
When this protocol is selected, Creative Force will need a Private Key to establish a connection with the vendor’s server.
Notes & Callouts
The following section contains important callouts related to the information found elsewhere in the article. Please keep the following notes in mind when selecting your protocol and encryption method.
📝 Note: If you are choosing SSH File Transfer Protocol with Private Key, the maximum length of the private key allowed is 4096 bits.
📝 Note: We do not support reusing SSL Sessions at this time.
📝 Note: Creative Force does not support keyboard-interactive (Interactive) authentication mode. We support two logon types: Normal and Key File mode.