What is FTP? File Transfer Protocol

An FTP connection requires two parties to connect and communicate over the network. To do this, users must be authorized by providing credentials to the FTP server. Some public FTP servers do not require credentials to access their files. This is the case with so-called anonymous FTP.

There are two different communication channels when establishing an FTP connection. The first is called the command channel, over which the command and response are sent. The second is the data channel, over which the distribution of the data takes place.

To retrieve or transfer a file, an authorized FTP user the protocol to request changes on the server. In return, the server grants access. This is called an active connection.

When deploying in active mode, problems may occur if the user's computer is protected by a firewall. The firewall usually does not allow unauthorized sessions from the outside.

In this case the passive mode is used. In this mode, the user establishes both the command and data channels. With this mode, the server is asked to listen instead of trying to connect to the user.

How to use FTP?

There are three ways to establish an FTP connection. A very simple method is to use an FTP command line utility, such as using Command Prompt on Windows or Terminal on Mac/Linux. This method is still used today by developers to transfer files via FTP.

A user can also use a web browser to communicate with the FTP server. A web browser is more convenient when users want to access large directories on the server. However, it is often less reliable and slower than a dedicated FTP program.

Nowadays, using an FTP client such as FileZilla is the most common practice. This is especially true for web developers.

An FTP client offers more freedom than the command line and the web browser. It is also easier to manage and more powerful than the other methods.

When using such a client, more functions are also available. For example, users can transfer a large file and use the synchronization utility.

As a web developer, you should use FTP with an FTP client to access the website you manage. It's also easier to create and delete directories and read a large number of files on the server.

We hope that this article has helped you understand FTP a little better. If you have any questions about FTP and its clients, please contact our Support Team. We will be happy to help you.