Web browsers deprecate File Transfer Protocol services and support
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a protocol to transfer files from one host to another and has been used by NCEI for many years to provide a variety of data. During 2020, several web browsers, notably Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, made decisions to end support for FTP due to low usage, bugs, and security issues.
In January 2021, support and services for FTP will change for NOAA data customers due to the deprecation of FTP. Data available from NCEI by FTP will still remain accessible by different means. Some product pages may still list FTP accessibility after the deprecation, as updates are made over an undetermined period.
Users will no longer be able to access NCEI data via browser FTP URLs, including the latest version of Chrome, M88, being deployed January 19, 2021. Access must be initiated differently on the users’ end. NCEI recommends using Web Accessible Folders (WAFs), such as on this NCEI site for ocean data. A secondary option is to use an FTP client-supported application, such as FileZilla and/or WinSCP. Newer versions of WinSCP are capable of using object storage, which is the storage model NCEI is moving toward in the future.
To alert customers to this change, NCEI has posted notifications on our web pages of recent changes and will continue to assist in smoothing the transition to allow file transfers. Several NCEI web pages will be affected, including:
As NCEI continues to merge the web presences of the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), which includes the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), we will update users on data access changes.
Customer support is available via ncei.info@noaa.gov or (828) 271-4800.
