User Case

 

Can Google Drive be utilized as an FTP Server? I possess the host, username, and password details, and through FileZilla, I can access Google Drive folders, upload and download data, and automate backups with various software. The specific protocol, whether FTP or SFTP, is not crucial.

If you want to make SFTP access to Google Drive, you can integrate SFTP to Google Drive and sync files between them. After syncing, Google Drive files can be accessed via SFTP easily. Read the following sections and learn how to achieve it if you prefer this way.

Difference between FTP and SFTP

Difference between FTP and SFTP
Difference between FTP and SFTP

Although we mainly discuss how to make SFTP to Google Drive integration, we would first briefly tell the differences between SFTP and FTP since some users may be confused about them.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) are both used for transferring files, but they differ significantly in terms of security.

FTP is a standard network protocol that transfers files between a client and a server, but it lacks encryption, making data vulnerable to interception. Passwords and files are transmitted in plaintext, posing a security risk. Additionally, FTP does not provide built-in mechanisms for secure authentication.

On the other hand, SFTP provides a secure channel for file transfer. SFTP encrypts data during transmission, offering a higher level of security compared to FTP. It uses a combination of public-key cryptography and user credentials for authentication, ensuring confidential information remains protected. SFTP is widely favored for secure file transfers, especially when dealing with sensitive data, as it addresses the vulnerabilities associated with plain FTP.

How to Easily Integrate SFTP to Google Drive

As mentioned before, we recommend integrating SFTP to Google Drive by syncing files between them. To create a sync task, you can use the free cloud management service MultCloud. It can help you centralize your multiple cloud storage services like Google Drive, Google Workspace, FTP, SFTP, Dropbox, and so on. After adding these clouds to MultCloud, you can directly upload, download, share, and delete files and folders on just one web.

MultCloud
MultCloud

To sync SFTP to Google Drive, MultCloud offers its professional solution – Cloud Sync. It specializes in cloud-to-cloud sync and gives 10 sync modes, such as Real Time Sync, Two-way Sync, Incremental Sync, and Cumulative Sync.

  • Real Time Sync: Any modification of a cloud will be updated to another cloud in real time.
  • Two-way Sync: The sync task will proceed both ways between SFTP and Google Drive at the same time.
  • Incremental Sync: Only the modified or added file will be synced next time.
  • Cumulative Sync: Even if you delete some files in the source cloud, these files will not be deleted in the target cloud in the later sync process.

Now, let’s explore how to integrate SFTP with Google Drive on MultCloud.

Make SFTP and Google Drive Integration by Cloud Sync

Step 1: Create a free MultCloud account when you enter its web.

Step 2: Click “Add Cloud” and choose the SFTP icon. Then, tap the downward arrow and choose “SFTP”. Also, fill in the server, username, and password boxes, and click “Add SFTP Account” to add SFTP to MultCloud.

Add SFTP to MultCloud
Add SFTP to MultCloud

Step 3: Add Google Drive to MultCloud with the same operations in Step 2.

Add Google Drive to MultCloud
Add Google Drive to MultCloud

Step 4: Select “Cloud Sync” in the left navigation bar and choose SFTP as the source cloud and Google Drive as the target cloud.

  • If you just want to sync SFTP files to Google Drive, you have to distinguish the source cloud and the target cloud. If you choose Two-way Sync, the selection does not matter since the task runs both ways.
Sync SFTP to Google Drive
Sync SFTP to Google Drive

Step 5: Open “Options” and choose which sync mode you want to apply to your task if need them. Finally, press “Sync Now” to start syncing.

Sync Modes
Sync Modes

Notes:

  • If you want to auto-select files that you want to transfer or ignore, you can use “Filter” in “Options”.
  • MultCloud offers 5 GB of free traffic every month. If you sync more than 5 GB of files at once, the task may pause in half. In this regard, you can upgrade your plan to get up to lifetime limited traffic and enjoy faster sync speed.

Manage SFTP and Google Drive on MultCloud

After syncing SFTP to Google Drive or Google Drive to SFTP by Cloud Sync, you can connect to Google Drive via SFTP by operations like uploading files to Google Drive via FTP or downloading SFTP files on Google Drive. Instead of going to different cloud sites or apps, you can also upload, download, or share files on MultCloud.

  • If you want to download a file, you can select the file in Google Drive/SFTP and click “Download” in the upper bar.
Download Files from Google Drive
Download Files from Google Drive
Upload Files to Google Drive
Upload Files to Google Drive
  • If you want to share a file, choose the file and click “Share”. Then you can choose how to share this file.
Share Google Drive File with a Password
Share Google Drive File with a Password

Conclusion

If you plan to integrate SFTP to Google Drive, you may try to sync them by MultCloud Cloud Sync. You must have an enjoyable experience when creating and running a sync task on MultCloud. Additionally, you can try other functions like Cloud Backup to auto-backup SFTP/FTP files to Google Drive.

  • Cloud Transfer: Automatically Transfer files between clouds without downloading.
  • Cloud Backup: Backup files to another cloud and restore with different versions.
  • Team Transfer: Transfer files between business clouds with sub-accounts matching.
  • Email Migration: Migrate emails and attachments to the cloud as PDF files at once.
  • Image Saver: Save images from Instagram, website, and Google Search to the local or cloud.
Can I FTP files to Google Drive?
 
If you want to sync FTP files to Google Drive, you can use MultCloud Cloud Sync. You can: sign up for a MultCloud account > add FTP and Google Drive to MultCloud > create a Cloud Sync task > initiate this task.
Why do people still use SFTP?
 
People still use SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) because it provides a secure and encrypted method for transferring files over a network. It's widely supported, platform-independent, and trusted for its data protection features, making it suitable for various applications and industries.
How do I transfer files from FTP to Google Drive for free?
 
Using MultCloud Cloud Transfer. The steps are: getting a MultCloud account > adding FTP and Google Drive to MultCloud > entering Cloud Transfer and create a task > starting this task.
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