File Transfer Protocol
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. File Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used for the transfer of computer files between a client and server on a computer network. FTP is built on a client-server model architecture using separate control and data connections between the client and the server.
FTP Client
Using an FTP client is a method to upload, download, and manage files on our server. … FTP is a commonly used protocol for exchanging files over any network that supports the TCP/IP protocol (such as the Internet or an intranet).
This section covers what is FTP and FTP Client:
1. How to use FTP for File Transfer
2. FTP Client Software
3. FTP File Transfer
4. Free FTP Client Software
1. How to use FTP for File Transfer?
To transfer files via File Transfer Protocol (FTP), you need to establish an FTP connection. To make an FTP connection you can use a standard Web browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc.) or an FTP Client. To transfer a file with FTP you need to have an FTP account for the web space you are going to transfer the file to.
When using a web browser for an FTP connection, FTP uploads are sometimes very slow, and downloads are not protected (not recommended for uploading or downloading large files).
2. FTP Client Software
An FTP Client is a software designed to transfer files back-and-forth between a computer and a server over the Internet. It needs to be installed on your computer and can only be used with a live connection to the Internet.
With an FTP Client (such as FileZilla, Cyberduck or Transmit) uploading/downloading a file is really easy. Furthermore, FTP clients have some extra features. For example, you can resume a download that did not finish successfully. This is a very nice feature for people with slower Internet connections.
FTP clients’ interface is usually divided in two – the panel on the left shows the files and folders on your computer (Desktop, My Documents, etc,) and the panel on the right displays the files on the remote server (if this is your website hosting account, you will see the public_html folder, where the files of your site are stored).
3. FTP File Transfer
File transfers are made by simply dragging and dropping files from one pane to the other. Additional features of the FTP Client include: multiple file transfers at a time, auto resuming of the transfer, file queuing and more.
You can read the following tutorials for two of the most popular FTP clients: