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Is it just me, or does FTP seem a little archaic? It seems slow and inefficient, and its over 30 years old, not that all old things are bad :)
What protocols exist out there that might become successors to FTP?
I've used webdav a little, but don't know much about it. Is it faster? More reliable? More secure?
Why isn't there widespread adoption of a newer technology (yet)?
Update: Specifically, I'm referring to downloading/uploading files between developers and their web server.
I am aware of other mainstream protocols for other uses such as web browsing, file sharing, etc.
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Created in the 1970s, FTP was only meant to be used during the early years of the internet—back when security concerns weren't as prevalent and data breaches were almost non-existent. Almost 50 years have passed since 1970, but while much has changed, FTP has not kept up with modern security standards.
SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) SFTP has become the de-facto replacement for FTP and is often incorrectly described as secure-FTP.
Biscom Says Goodbye to FTP with Secure File Transfer.
File transfer protocol is a way to download, upload, and transfer files from one location to another on the internet and between computer systems. FTP enables the transfer of files back and forth between computers or through the cloud. Users require an internet connection in order to execute FTP transfers.
The nice thing about FTP is that it works, which is a major improvement over, for example, Windows filesharing (or for that matter, Win7's Homegroups).
There are plenty of other technologies for transferring files though. HTTP is commonly used for retrieving files, SCP or SFTP handle the secure aspect, basically running the usual protocol through a SSH tunnel. As for inefficient? How so? Just because it's old doesn't mean it's inefficient.
How would a more efficient protocol work?
Anyway, FTP has its niche. It is used for transferring files where security is not important. It does the trick there, and I'm not aware of any superior alternatives, nor can I think of any obvious ways to improve the protocol.
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