Implicit SSL FTP Clients with Scripting?

malcomvetter asks: "I need a command line FTP client that supports 'Implicit SSL', sports some kind of scripting interface, and runs on Win32. Any suggestions? So far, I have only found GUI versions such as FileZilla." I remember once needing a scripting FTP client long ago. It took me a long time, but I finally found one that had a workable but unintuitive interface. Have scripting FTP clients become more prevalent or is your best bet using something flexible with network bindings (like Python or Perl) to get the job done?

Comments

If Cygwin is an option then lftp is perfect.

[mohaine]

lftp

Expect

[chriseyre2000]

expect is atcl extension thast was written for just this purpose.

Re:SCP?

[hey!]

We do that all the time for our CVS access. It also makes scp a snap.

But privacy without entering a password is only one possible requirement. Another possible requirement is anonymity.

I assume that scp doesn't transmit the user's identity in cleartext (it shouldn't be necessary since the server has a public key), so anonymity over the wire presumably isn't an issue. But suppose I wanted to make sure that when the subpeona is issued, it would be trickier to associate a file transfer to a user. Then ftp over ssl, running scripted from a zombie client would be the way to go.

But I agree, scp with key files would fit the bill for convenient privacy and on-wire anonymity for most applications.

expect is great for this

[monkeyserver.com]

expect is awesome for scripting, especially where the interface isn't completely predictable. It basically sends out commands, waits for certain replies back, then responds them, all according to script your right.

Some cool things, autoexpect, this will basically record a session you do (like the script command), and right an expect script for it. Also if you use the -p (I think, check the man) option, it won't make the prompts strict, just in case there is a datestamp in there.

SecureFX

[eric2hill]

Try SecureFX from VanDyke Software. I've been using their SecureCRT/SecureFX combo for a year or so now and it works great. Both are command-line scriptable as needed.

Re:scp

[j-turkey]

Well, some time ago I needed a reliable ftp-like client for my scripting needs, but security was also a requirement. I decided to use pscp through command line interface. Pscp is a PuTTY SCP client for Windows platform. Works well for me.

Problem is, pscp lacks large file support.

Try Fugu for OSX

[teridon]

Fugu is a decent BSD-style licensed GUI for SFTP, SCP and SSH tunnels

Re:sftp (part of cygwin)

[darthgnu]

The admin can disable sftp because it uses a protocol extension. Scp OTOH uses no protocol extension and can be used with any ssh server.