Why does youtube uses http for video uploads?

Question

I researched a bit and found that YouTube uses http for file upload. I also found that they don't use ftp due to security issues, in that case why don't they use sftp? Why do they use http specifically, why not any other protocol?

Answer 1

While FTP has its problems with firewalls due to multiple port issues, the biggest reason is simplicity. Web runs on http(s). If youtube were to require SFTP for upload, instead of simple:

• on web form simply click file to upload, and enter description

You'd have more steps:

• require user to install additional application and learn to use it (dealing with all kind of problems like firewalls, company policies forbidding installation of extra programs, different user interfaces, etc.) - support for this would require enourmous resources and case many a user big problem and inability to use service
• use SFTP to upload file
• then switch back to web again to enter license, description, comments etc.

And all that problems for practically no benefit at all.