Hosting Glossary
What is SFTP?
What SFTP actually means, minus the jargon — with the example that makes it obvious.
The short answer
SFTP is secure file transfer over the SSH protocol — encrypted end to end, using your SSH credentials, through the same drag-and-drop clients.
Below: the fuller explanation, an analogy that makes it stick, why it matters in practice, and where you'll actually meet it.
Written by the HostingAlly team · Last revised 27 July 2026
0
Jargon left unexplained
100+
Linked definitions
Real
Platform examples
Free
To read, obviously
Despite the name it isn't FTP-with-a-wrapper but a distinct protocol within SSH — one port (22), full encryption of credentials and content, and key-based authentication where configured.
It's the professional default for server file work: everything FileZilla-style workflows offer, without the plaintext exposure that makes classic FTP a liability.
A picture that makes SFTP stick
The armoured courier version of the removal van — same loading procedure, same destinations, contents and paperwork sealed against every curious eye on the route.
Analogies simplify, of course — but this one holds up well enough to reason with, and reasoning is the point of a glossary.
The practical stakes
It's the transfer method you should be using — supported on all our plans, compatible with every major client, and immune to the credential-sniffing that plain FTP invites on shared networks.
That's the test for every technical term, incidentally — not 'do I understand it fully' but 'do I know when it's the answer to my problem'. For this one, now you do.
A concrete example
A developer on café wifi pushes site files via SFTP without a second thought — the network's other patrons see only encrypted noise, credentials included.
Multiply that example across every site on the internet and you have the concept's entire job description.
Where you'll meet it on our platform
On our hosting this mostly takes care of itself — the platform applies the sensible defaults, and the panel exposes the controls when you want them. The concepts worth knowing next: FTP, SSH, Document Root and Encryption.
Business email on your own domain is included, not sold back as an add-on.
A glossary from people who answer tickets
Every confusing term in hosting eventually becomes a support ticket — so we defined the hundred most common ones properly, once, in the plain English we'd use on the phone.
Renewal prices match signup prices, so the year-two invoice is the most boring email you'll get from us.
- 100+ terms, plain English
- Analogies and real examples
- Cross-linked related concepts
- Written by the support desk
Why HostingAlly
Every plan includes this, whatever you pay
Linked, not siloed
Related terms cross-reference, so one lookup becomes a working understanding.
One term, fully landed
SFTP defined, pictured by analogy and placed in your own control panel — recognise-level in a single read.
Honest about what you can skip
Most terms are recognise-level, not operate-level — the glossary says which is which.
Analogies that stick
Each concept gets a picture you'll remember at the moment you actually need it.
The next reads, mapped
This entry connects to FTP and SSH — concepts travel in packs, and the pack is linked.
Grounded in a real platform
Examples reference the hosting you'd actually use, not abstract diagrams.
Getting Started
How to get going
- 1
Spot it in your own setup
Open your control panel and find where this concept lives — seeing it attached to your own site is what converts definition into understanding.
- 2
Check the defaults
Our platform ships sane defaults for this — verify rather than assume, and you'll know your setup instead of hoping about it.
- 3
Follow the related terms
Concepts travel in packs — FTP, SSH and Document Root complete this one's picture, and each is a two-minute read away.
Included
What's covered on our plans
- Webmail plus IMAP, POP and SMTP access
- Renewal prices that match signup prices
- Softaculous one-click app installer
- DDoS protection at the network level
- Daily automatic backups with self-service restores
- Email accounts on your own domain
- Staging environments for risk-free changes
- NVMe SSD storage as standard
- No setup fees, ever
- One-click installer for WordPress and 400+ apps
FAQ
Your questions, answered
How do I connect via SFTP?
In your client, protocol SFTP, host your domain or server name, port 22, your hosting credentials — or SSH keys for passwordless. Functionally identical to FTP workflows from there, minus the exposure.
Why does SFTP use the SSH port?
Because it's an SSH subsystem — one hardened service providing shell, transfers and tunnels together. One port to secure and firewall, one credential system, no separate FTP daemon to maintain.
Can I host more than one website on a plan?
On the Pro tier and above, yes — multiple sites with their own domains, email and SSL under one account. If the extra sites belong to clients rather than you, reseller hosting gives each one proper isolation instead.
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes — try the hosting properly and if it doesn't fit, the refund process is a request, not a retention gauntlet. Domain registrations are the one standard carve-out, since registries make those non-refundable the moment they're placed.
What does your 24/7 support actually cover?
Real people at every hour, and a scope that includes the practical questions — email setup, DNS, WordPress issues, restores — not just 'the server is up, ticket closed'. Pre-sales questions are welcome too; ask us something difficult and judge the reply.
Where are your servers located?
Our hosting infrastructure runs from European datacentres with London at the core, behind server-level caching that keeps cached pages fast worldwide. For most sites, platform quality — NVMe storage, LiteSpeed, sensible server density — matters far more than the datacentre's postcode.
Where is your company based?
HostingAlly is a trading name of Fairdeal Renovations Limited, a company registered in England and Wales — a real, verifiable business with published terms under English law, which is worth checking about any host before you hand them your domain.
Keep exploring
FTP
FTP is the veteran file-transfer protocol for moving files between your computer and a server.
SSH (Secure Shell)
SSH is the encrypted protocol for operating a server through a terminal.
WordPress Hosting
Managed WordPress with LiteSpeed caching, staging and automatic backups.
VPS Hosting
KVM virtual servers with root access, DDoS protection and flat pricing.
Planning to switch hosts? Grab the checklist here.
The steps that keep a site migration dull rather than dramatic: what to back up first, how to shift email across without losing a single message, when to touch DNS, and the two mistakes behind nearly every hour of downtime we come across.
Launch it properly this time.
From your first site to a fleet of servers, the upgrade path is an account change, not a migration.
View WordPress Hosting plans