SFTP stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol, which is an application that transfers files across a network in a safe and secure manner. It is normally preferable when compared to FTP, since FTP is an insecure protocol.It is an encrypted version of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and all its operations are performed across an encrypted ssh session. It also uses ssh features including data compression and public key authentication. It can be integrated into GUI tools like WinSCP, FileZilla and FireFTP.