FTP Connection
Overview
The FTP connection allows IB-X Agents to connect to remote servers using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
FTP connections can be used by workflow activities to access files and directories stored on remote FTP servers.
The connection supports:
- Anonymous FTP access
- Username and password authentication
- Optional TLS encryption using FTPS
- Explicit and Implicit TLS modes
- Server certificate validation
FTP and FTPS use the File Transfer Protocol. FTPS adds TLS encryption to protect data transmitted between IB-X and the remote FTP server.
Connection Properties
Configure the following properties when creating an FTP connection.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | Hostname or IP address of the FTP server. For example, ftp.example.com. |
| Port | Port used to connect to the FTP server. Defaults to 21. When Implicit (FTPS) is selected, the port automatically changes to 990. |
| Anonymous Login | Enables anonymous FTP access. When enabled, the Username and Password fields are hidden and cleared. |
| Username | FTP account username. Available when Anonymous Login is disabled. |
| Password | Password associated with the FTP account. Stored securely by IB-X. |
Authentication
The FTP connection supports anonymous access or username and password authentication.
Anonymous Login
Enable Anonymous Login when the FTP server allows connections without a dedicated user account.
When enabled:
- Username is hidden.
- Password is hidden.
- Any values previously entered in these fields are cleared.
Anonymous access must be enabled on the target FTP server for this authentication method to work.
Username and Password
When Anonymous Login is disabled, provide the credentials of the FTP account used to connect to the server.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Username | FTP account username. |
| Password | Password associated with the FTP account. |
For an existing connection, use the edit option provided for the password field when the stored password needs to be replaced.
TLS / Secure Connection
The FTP connection can optionally use TLS encryption to protect communication with the remote server.
Select the required secure connection mode based on the configuration of the FTP server.
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| None | Uses standard FTP communication without TLS encryption. The default port is 21. |
| Explicit (FTPES) | Establishes a standard FTP connection and then upgrades the connection to TLS. |
| Implicit (FTPS) | Requires TLS from the beginning of the connection. When selected, the port automatically changes to 990. |
The selected TLS mode must match the configuration supported by the target FTP server.
When a TLS mode is selected, additional certificate-related options become available.
Certificate Settings
When Explicit (FTPES) or Implicit (FTPS) is selected, the following certificate options are available.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Allow Untrusted Certificates | Allows connections to servers that use self-signed, expired, or otherwise untrusted certificates. |
| Server Certificate | PEM-encoded certificate used to validate the remote server during TLS negotiation. The certificate can be entered manually or populated using the Extract Certificate tool. |
Enable Allow Untrusted Certificates only when connecting to a server that you trust and where accepting an untrusted certificate is intentional.
Extracting a Server Certificate
The Extract Certificate tool helps populate the Server Certificate field from an existing certificate file.
The tool is available when:
- A TLS mode is selected.
- The connection is editable.
Certificate Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Certificate File | Certificate file from which the PEM certificate is extracted. Supported formats are .p12, .pfx, .pem, .crt, and .cer. |
| Certificate Password | Password used to access a protected certificate file, such as a P12 or PFX file. Optional when the certificate is not password protected. |
| Extract | Extracts the certificate and populates the Server Certificate field when extraction succeeds. |
To extract a certificate:
- Select Explicit (FTPES) or Implicit (FTPS) as the TLS mode.
- Open the Extract Certificate tool.
- Select the certificate file.
- Enter the certificate password, if required.
- Click Extract.
- Verify that the extracted certificate is populated in the Server Certificate field.
Certificate files provided to the Extract Certificate tool are transmitted only for certificate extraction and are not persisted by the platform.
Testing the Connection
After configuring the FTP connection, click Test Connection to verify that IB-X can connect to the remote FTP server using the supplied configuration.
Testing the connection can help identify issues such as:
- Incorrect hostname or port
- Invalid username or password
- Anonymous access not being permitted by the server
- Incorrect TLS mode
- Certificate validation failures
- Network connectivity problems
A successful connection test confirms that IB-X can establish the FTP connection. Access to individual files and directories still depends on the permissions granted to the configured FTP account.
Used By
The FTP connection can be used by IB-X workflow activities that perform file and directory operations on remote FTP or FTPS servers.
The operations available depend on the workflow activity using the connection and the permissions granted to the configured FTP account.
Security Considerations
When configuring an FTP connection:
- Prefer a TLS-secured connection when the FTP server supports FTPS.
- Use credentials with only the permissions required by the Agent.
- Validate the remote server certificate when using TLS.
- Enable Allow Untrusted Certificates only in trusted environments where accepting an untrusted certificate is required.
- Protect certificate passwords and FTP credentials from unauthorized access.
For secure file transfer over SSH rather than FTP with TLS, use an SFTP Connection.
For information about creating, editing, testing, cloning, deleting, and auditing connections, see Connections.