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If you know what FTP is and how it works, you can use it to transfer files between different computers. Quickly and easily
What is FTP and how does it work?
FTP stands for “File Transfer Protocol”. Translated, this means “file transfer protocol”. It is a communication protocol that makes it easy to transfer data between different computers.
- A communication protocol regulates the conditions under which files are transferred between several computers. Among the communication protocols, FTP belongs to the group of network protocols.
- FTP therefore regulates the exchange of data between several computers in a network. You can use it to download files from an FTP server, upload files and also view and change the folder structure on the server.
- FTP is mostly used to organize files on an HTTP server, i.e. the simple web server. FTP can be used for any operating system.
FTP – How it works
Almost all large data centers also offer publicly accessible files and programs via FTP. For example, you can download Firefox with the command prompt via FTP.
- FTP servers can be accessed, for example, using the CMD command prompt on Windows computers or the standard “Fetch” program on Macs. You can also use free programs with a graphical interface, such as FileZilla or CuteFTP.
- To download files from an FTP server or upload them to the server, you need a user name and password. Most public FTP servers use anonymous access, the user name is then “anonymous”, the password is either a random sequence of letters or numbers or your e-mail address.
- When you establish a connection to an FTP server, it runs via two channels: the data channel and the control channel. Commands and instructions are transferred via the control channel, files are exchanged on the data channel. You can also set up your own FTP server with FileZilla
