SFTP vs WebDAV: What's the Difference and Which Should You Use?

Moving files into and out of the cloud is still a critical part of many workflows — from automated data pipelines to collaborative document editing. Two protocols often come up in this space: SFTP and WebDAV.

At a glance, they both let you securely access files over the internet. But under the hood, they're built for very different use cases.

In this post, we'll break down how SFTP and WebDAV work, where they shine, where they fall short, and how to choose the right one for your workflow.

What Is SFTP?

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is a secure file transfer protocol that runs over SSH. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with traditional FTP — it's an entirely different protocol.

SFTP establishes a single encrypted connection and allows clients to upload, download, list, and manage files on a remote server. It runs over SSH on port 22 by default and is fully encrypted by default, supporting both password and SSH key-based authentication.

The protocol is designed for reliable file transfer rather than collaboration, which makes it widely used in enterprise and legacy integrations. SFTP is extremely popular for machine-to-machine communication, scheduled jobs, and batch data transfers.

What Is WebDAV?

WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) is an extension of HTTP that allows clients to treat a remote server like a shared filesystem. Unlike SFTP, WebDAV was designed with interactive file access and collaboration in mind.

Built on HTTP/HTTPS, WebDAV uses standard web ports like 443 and supports operations like PUT, DELETE, MOVE, COPY, and PROPFIND. It can be mounted as a network drive and works well with browsers, OS file explorers, and document editors.

WebDAV feels more like working with a remote folder than transferring files back and forth.

Core Differences at a Glance

Security Considerations

Both protocols can be very secure when configured correctly, but they approach security differently.

SFTP Security: SFTP handles encryption and integrity through SSH, offering strong authentication via SSH keys. It makes it easy to restrict access per user and provides a very predictable security model that's well understood and widely audited.

WebDAV Security: WebDAV relies on HTTPS/TLS for encryption, with authentication methods that vary by implementation. It's often deployed behind reverse proxies or gateways, which requires careful configuration to avoid misconfigurations.

In regulated environments, SFTP is often favored simply because its security model is well understood and widely audited.

Performance and Scalability

Performance depends heavily on network conditions and usage patterns.

SFTP excels with large files and remains reliable over high-latency links, though connection setup overhead can be higher due to its stateful sessions.

WebDAV performs well for many small files and is stateless by nature, making it easier to scale horizontally. However, it can struggle with very large transfers depending on the client implementation.

Ease of Use and Client Support

This is where the two protocols diverge sharply.

SFTP is accessed through tools like sftp, scp, WinSCP, and FileZilla. While ideal for developers and automation, it's less approachable for non-technical users.

WebDAV offers native support in Windows File Explorer, macOS Finder, and Linux file managers. It works seamlessly in browsers and mobile apps, making it ideal for end users and content teams who need a more familiar interface.

Automation and Integration

Many modern platforms support both, allowing teams to choose the best protocol per workflow.

Typical Use Cases

Choosing the right protocol depends on your specific needs. Here's a quick decision guide:

Why Many Teams Use Both

In modern cloud environments, storage is often decoupled from access protocols. A cloud file server backed by object storage (like S3) can expose SFTP for automation and integrations, WebDAV for human access and collaboration, and native S3 APIs for cloud applications.

This approach lets each team use the tool that fits their workflow — without duplicating storage or permissions.

Conclusion

SFTP and WebDAV solve different problems, even though they both move files over the internet. SFTP is built for reliability, automation, and secure data exchange, while WebDAV is built for usability, collaboration, and interactive access.

There's no universally "better" option — only the right protocol for the job. The most flexible solutions let you use both, backed by the same secure cloud storage.