Can I use Filezilla to transfer web files, via SSH?

Question

I have heard that FTP is an insecure way of uploading files from a local computer, to a website server. The reason being, that when using the FTP approach, your login credentials are being sent into Cyber Space, in plain text. Therefore, information can be intercepted and easily read.

After looking into this, I have read that using the SSH approach is a secure alternative.

I am currently using Filezilla, to transfer web files to its server. With this in mind, is my following understanding correct:

Filezilla FTP: When you open up Filezilla, you are taken to the 'FTP Dashboard'. Using this approach, is insecure.

Filezilla SSH: In order to use the SSH approach, I just need to go into File > Site Manager > New Site > Protocol > SFTP SSH File Transfer Protocol. Using this approach, is secure.

I wanted to make sure that I am correct in that SSH is secure while FTP is not and also, that you can use Filezilla to adopt the SSH approach and that SSH is not a completely different piece of software.

Answer 1

SSH/SFTP is a completely different protocol to FTP.

FTP itself is insecure. But there's a secure variant of FTP protocol, FTPS (or FTPES), aka FTP over TLS/SSL.

Most "FTP clients", including FileZilla, support all of FTP, FTPS, FTPES and SFTP (and more).

FileZilla itself always tries FTPES, before failing back to unencrypted FTP (the default configuration for FTP Encryption is "Use explicit FTP over TLS if available"). Though you better select "Require explicit FTP over TLS", if you need to use FTP (if the server does not support SFTP).