tftp

Trivial File Transfer Protocol client

TLDR

Connect to server

$ tftp [server_ip] [port]

Execute command directly

$ tftp [server_ip] -c [command]

Connect with IPv6 and port range

$ tftp [server_ip] -6 -R [port:port]

Set transfer mode (interactive)

$ mode [binary|ascii]

Download file (interactive)

$ get [file]

Upload file (interactive)

$ put [file]

Exit (interactive)

$ quit

tftp is a client for the Trivial File Transfer Protocol, a simple protocol for transferring files without authentication. TFTP operates over UDP and is commonly used for network booting (PXE) and firmware updates.

PARAMETERS

-c COMMAND

Execute TFTP command and exit

-6

Use IPv6

-R PORT:PORT

Force originating port range

-4

Use IPv4 only

-v

Verbose output

-V

Print version and configuration, then exit

-l

Default to literal mode (no special processing of ':' in filenames)

INTERACTIVE COMMANDS

get file

Download file from server

put file

Upload file to server

mode binary|ascii

Set transfer mode

status

Show current status

ascii

Shorthand for "mode ascii"

binary

Shorthand for "mode binary"

timeout seconds

Set per-packet retransmission timeout

quit

Exit client

INSTALL

sudo apt install tftp-hpa

sudo dnf install tftp

sudo pacman -S tftp-hpa

sudo apk add tftp-hpa

sudo zypper install tftp

nix profile install nixpkgs#tftp-hpa

CAVEATS

No authentication or encryption. UDP-based, may have issues with firewalls. Limited error handling compared to FTP. Maximum file size limited by protocol.

HISTORY

TFTP was defined in RFC 1350 (1992) and is one of the oldest file transfer protocols. It's designed for simplicity, making it suitable for embedded systems and network boot environments.