| Developer(s) | Ben Spink |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 5.7.0 / May 24, 2011 |
| Operating system | Mac OS X Linux Unix Windows |
| Type | Secure Web file up/download, FTP server, HTTP server, SFTP Server, WebDAV Server |
| License | Proprietary software |
| Website | www.crushftp.com |
CrushFTP is a proprietary multi-protocol, multi-platform file transfer server originally developed in 1999. CrushFTP is shareware with a tiered pricing model. It is targeted at home users on up to enterprise users.
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CrushFTP supports the following protocols: FTP, FTPS, SFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, WebDAV and WebDAV SSL. Additionally, although not a protocol, it has both AJAX/HTML5 and Java applet web interfaces for end users to manage their files from a web browser. CrushFTP uses a GUI for administration, but also installs as a daemon on Mac OS X, Linux, Unix, and as a service in Windows. It supports multihoming, multiple websites with distinct branding, hot configuration changes, and GUI-based management of users and groups. Plugins are included for authentication against SQL databases, LDAP, Active Directory, and Mac OS X accounts (NetInfo). All settings are stored in XML files that can be edited directly, or with the CrushFTP GUI. If edited directly, CrushFTP will notice the modification timestamp change and load the settings immediately without needing a server restart.
CrushFTP was first published publicly around 1999. Initial versions were FTP only. There were no connection restrictions in version 1.x. CrushFTP 2.x brought about virtual directories in a sense, while CrushFTP 3.x brought about a full virtual file system. It supported the ability to merge and mangle several file systems together regardless if they were from local folders, or another FTP site. It in a sense could even act as a proxy for other FTP servers. However the complications from all the potential issues that could go on from this was confusing. CrushFTP 3 also brought about tiered pricing and restricted the unregistered shareware version to just 5 users at a time.
CrushFTP 4 focused primarily on a cleaner interface and less confusing virtual file system. While it still seems to have some support for merging FTP sites with a local file system, the support seems limited. CrushFTP 4 includes all of CrushFTP3's features, along with more. The learning curve from CrushFTP 3 to 4 is not steep. Updates in version 4 include a full HTTP server as well as the other supported protocols. It continues with the tiered pricing model, with the unregistered shareware only allowing for five simultaneous users at a time. Recent updates started recognizing web browsers as being different than FTP connections where four web browsers connections only count as one user against the licensed limit.
(Other plugins are available but their purpose may be specific to certain scenarios: PreferencesController, DuplicateBlocker, ContentBlocker, FilterCommand, DotBIN, DebugOptions.)
Development has been performed by the sole developer Ben Spink. Updates have been frequent with version 4, almost weekly at times. The feature set of version 4 continues to expand as the initial release was missing much of the functionality the current releases have.
Encryption is supported for files "at rest" using AES-128, as well as for passwords using an MD5 non-reversible hash. SFTP uses SSH for encryption, and FTPS uses SSL/TLS for encryption.
There have been no known, or published security vulnerabilities in CrushFTP 4. There have been no known, or published security vulnerabilities in CrushFTP 3. One published vulnerability was in CrushFTP 2.1.4 which had a patch released within a day.