[nine_k]

If you want to serve private content, you have to encrypt stuff and authenticate users.

If you want to serve public content, you still need to encrypt it to avoid a MITM attack.

SSH solves the first problem trivially, but is slower. HTTPS solves the second problem trivially, and the first problem with some work (login flow or client certificates).

I only see a case for FTP for underpowered hardware like older RPi serving stuff locally. But I suspect the bottleneck would be in the USB-connected NIC, not even im the CPU.