sftp

If you regularly access remote servers using the secure shell (SSH) command in your Mac's Terminal, often you will do so to simply edit a configuration file or two. This is normally done using a Terminal-based text editor such as vi, nano, or emacs; however, even though these programs can be fairly powerful options, often they simply lack in both ease and capability when compared to GUI-based editors like the TextWrangler, a popular and free editor from BareBones software.

Unfortunately being a full GUI application, TextWrangler will not run in the Terminal so you cannot use a remote copy … Read more

Remote access to a computer system is a convenient option to have, as it can allow you to change settings, get to your files and folders, or otherwise use the system without needing to be immediately in front of it. Being a Unix-like system, Apple has included the popular SSH remote log-in service for administering the system via the command line. However, this service can be used for more than a text-based interface to running commands, and you can use it to create secured FTP connections and similarly mount remote folders on a local system using the SSH filesystem (SSHFS) … Read more

Transmit was already one of the very best FTP clients for the Mac, and it's only gotten better with its long-awaited leap to version 4.

The two most noticeable things about the new Transmit are faster speeds (especially when dealing with lots of smaller files) and a completely revamped, more Finder-like interface. Transmit's snappy, animated new interface makes workflows more natural and streamlined than ever. The file browsing has also gotten easier, with new features like "Places" (for storing shortcuts to frequently used folders) and useful Finder-style functionality (which has been showing up in other FTP … Read more

Fetch is one of the oldest and most well-loved FTP clients, whose cute fetching-dog animation has been running--literally--on Macs since 1989. Fetch can handle all your basic FTP needs, including SFTP and FTP with TLS/SSL, along with support for AppleScript and one-click remote file editing (with any kind of file and any kind of application). In addition to a fairly minimal and intuitive visual interface, Fetch saves you time with extras like Quick Look previews (optimized for OS X), easy drag and drop (including droplet shortcuts that save you from having to retype connection information), progress-tracking Dashboard widgets (shaped … Read more

Apple's sharing services in OS X have included the options for the Mac-native Apple Filing Protocol (AFP), the Windows-native Server Message Block (SMB), and the classic File Transfer Protocol (FTP). These three file-sharing protocols have been useful for compatibility not only with common Mac and Windows machines, but the FTP option has enabled practically any system to transfer files to a Mac. The lack of the ability to enable FTP in the system preferences may seem a bit limiting, but there are ways to get around this and get FTP service back up and running.

Enabling legacy FTP Apple'… Read more

File transfer protocol (FTP) tools are among the oldest Internet software, yet they're still some of the most useful programs to have around, especially since today's FTP clients do so much. Case in point is BitKinex, a free FTP manager from Barad-Dur. It's a full-featured FTP client that not only transfers files but also synchronizes directories and performs server-to-server mirroring and backups; a Secure FTP (SFTP) client that accommodates all available secure protocols and also offers multiple connections and automatic download resumption in secure connections; and a Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) tool with all the … Read more

We're big fans of open-source, cross-platform, portable freeware, especially when it's in the form of an especially flexible and useful tool like muCommander. It's a Java-based file management utility that handles just about anything you can throw at it: ZIP files (all kinds), FTP, ISO, SFTP, SMB, NFS, HTTP, e-mail messages and attachments, browser bookmarks, themes and skins, and much more. It offers full credentials management, keyboard shortcuts, compatibility with Apple platforms, checksum calculation, and some 20 languages. Since it's an open-source project, it's evolving new features and capabilities all the time.

This program's … Read more

This free, GPL-licensed FTP browser is a lean, mean, file-managing machine. Cyberduck can communicate with standard FTP volumes as well as SFTP, WebDAV, Google Docs, Google Storage, and Amazon S3. The application easily manages bookmarks with an OS X-styled drawer, and it's easy to import your bookmarks from other file-transfer apps if you want to try Cyberduck out. We like the quick-connect drop-down, which allows you to pop into recently accessed or bookmarked servers in a snap. We generally found both upstream and downstream file transfers to be speedy.

While Cyberduck can be seen as limited in terms of … Read more

ForkLift one of the best FTP/SFTP clients and file management programs available for the Mac. With its fast, flexible, and friendly interface (especially elegant for an FTP program, with tabs, spring-loaded folders, and one- and two-pane options), Forklift delivers on two of the main criteria for an app of its kind: speed and ease of use.

This app is even faster now that it handles multiple channel transfers over remote connections, and a ton of powerful features can make your work flow easier, such as previewing, batch functions, any-to-any copying (between multiple different devices or sources), filters and favorites (… Read more