Odette File Transfer Protocol (OFTP)

What is OFTP?

OFTP is a web-based protocol used for B2B document exchanges, primarily by European automotive companies, manufacturers, and suppliers.

OFTP was designed in the spirit of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model using the Network Service provided by CCITT X.25 recommendation. It works with:

• TCP/IP
• X.25/ISDN
• And native X.25

A single OFTP entity can make and receive calls, exchanging files in both directions. This means that OFTP can work in a PUSH or PULL mode, as opposed to AS2, which can only use PUSH.

Age

OFTP was created in 1986 specifically to meet the key data exchange and EDI needs of the European automotive industry. Its name comes from the Odette Organisation (the Organization for data exchange by teletransmission in Europe).

In 2007, Data Interchange created an update, OFTP2, as a specification for the secure transfer of business documents over the Internet, ISDN and X.25 networks.

OFTP Status and Popularity

OFTP2 is in widespread use throughout Europe. Originally developed for the European automotive industry, it touches many more organizations throughout the supply chain, including global parts manufacturers. OFTP has also seen adoption across the retail, white-label goods, manufacturing, government, transport, insurance, banking industries and many more.

Who Uses It OFTP?

OFTP is most common in Europe. If you work with any European company or have operations in Europe, there's a good chance you'll be using OFTP2. But it has also spread throughout the world to supply chain partners of European companies and organizations. It's a global standard and can be used by companies of any size, regardless of geographical location and connection reliability.

OFTP Security

OFTP 2 can encrypt and digitally sign message data, request signed receipts and provide mass data compression. All of these services are available for OFTP2 over TCP/IP, X.25/ISDN or native X.25. When used over a TCP/IP network, increased session level security is available for OFTP 2 over TLS.

OFTP vs. OFTP2

OFTP was developed to offer a standard communication platform in the mid-1980s. OFTP2 has been designed from the outset for use across the web, with key advantages over OFTP, including:

• Data compression
• Exchange of digital certificates between trading partners (to improve security)
• It handles massive files (greater than 500 GB)
• OFTP2 supports additional character sets, such as Chinese and Japanese

OFTP2 extended the reach of OFTP well beyond Europe, connecting trading partners across the globe.