FTPS wraps a normal FTP session in TLS. DockBird uses explicit mode: it connects on the regular port, issues AUTH TLS, and then encrypts both the commands and every data connection. Your password never crosses the wire in the clear.
Certificates are checked the way Safari checks them. A certificate signed by a public authority passes silently. A self-signed one raises a sheet with the server name and SHA-256 fingerprint, and once you approve it DockBird stores the fingerprint and connects quietly next time. If the certificate changes, the sheet comes back.
One caveat is worth knowing before you set up a server: some FTP daemons insist that data connections reuse the TLS session from the control connection. The networking library DockBird builds on does not expose that yet, so those servers refuse transfers. The error message tells you which server option to change.
How to connect
- Press ⌘N or click the plus next to Servers in the sidebar.
- Choose the FTPS tile.
- Fill in: Name · Host and port (21 by default) · Username · Password · Initial path.
- Click Save, then double-click the server. Approve the host key or certificate prompt if one appears.