Ftp why use

FTP definition. Download Free Trial Learn More. Applications of FTP FTP finds application in many day-to-day business operations spanning business-to-business and peer-to-peer data transfer use cases: Organizations use FTP to allow employees to share files across different locations and branch offices Employees use FTP to securely share files with coworkers and external business partners IT teams use FTP to transfer data back to disaster recovery DR sites Webmaster teams use FTP to transfer webpages, web application files, and images to their web server Download Free Trial Learn More.

What are FTP clients used for? Active vs. The task is simple. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and is a connection method designed for transferring files from a remote server to local computer, and vice versa. FTP is often used in corporate and academic settings, and is the primary way of managing webpage servers.

Understand the parts of an FTP address. When you come across FTP addresses on a webpage, they are usually denoted in the same way as a usual webpage address—with a couple of exceptions: For example, you might see ftp. This means that the address is ftp. You will need both of these when connecting to the FTP server.

If the FTP requires a username, it may be written as username ftp. If no username is specified, then you will usually need to enter "anonymous" as the username when you connect. Note that you are not actually anonymous when you connect to a public FTP; the host can see your IP address. Determine how you prefer to connect. There are three main ways to connect to FTP servers: via visual clients, via browser-based clients, or through the command line.

Downloading and installing a visual client is the most widely used and easiest way to connect to an FTP, and also affords you the most power and control over the process. The majority of this guide will focus on using an FTP client. A visual client is essentially just a program which allows you to enter the necessary FTP address and port; the program does all of the hard work from there.

To connect to an FTP through a web browser, simply enter the FTP address into the address bar just like any other website. You may be asked for login credentials, and then you can browse the directories.

Using a browser is usually much slower and less reliable than using a designated client. If you're interested in how to connect to an FTP using the command line, see the final section of this guide. Part 2. Download FileZilla. Using a client to connect will often lead to faster uploads and downloads to the FTP server, and FileZilla is one of the most popular FTP servers available.

Click the green Download button below the "FileZilla" heading. FileZilla is the example for this article, but you can use virtually any FTP client in the same way. This process will vary depending on your computer's operating system: Windows — Double-click the downloaded FileZilla setup file, click Yes when prompted, click I agree , click Next four times, uncheck the box on the Driver Update page, click Next , uncheck the box on the WinZIP page, and click Next.

Mac — Double-click the downloaded FileZilla DMG file, click and drag the FileZilla app icon onto the "Applications" folder icon, and follow any on-screen instructions until FileZilla begins installing. Enter your FTP server's information.

Username — You'll enter the login username here if there is no username, enter anonymous. Password — The password to log into the FTP server goes here leave blank if there isn't a password. Port — The FTP server's port number goes here. It's near the upper-right corner of the FileZilla window. FileZilla will begin connecting to your server. Review the FTP server's contents. Once you are connected, you will see the FTP directory tree on the right side of the window. Skip to: content search login.

Knowledge Base Toggle local menu Menus About the team. Knowledge Base Search. Log in. Options Help Chat with a consultant. Include archived documents. FTP Solutions. File sharing options and acronyms can often be overwhelming to keep track of as the digital world continues to advance. This is why so many companies default to using FTP file transfer protocol — one of the oldest and most basic forms of sharing data via the Internet. FTP Today became the first company in the world to offer the technology of online managed file transfer via FTP and related protocols in and we have been dedicated to improving and advancing our products to match the changing landscape in data sharing.

This article will focus on the most common solution for file sharing — FTP — and help you understand if it is a solution you should be using or not.

In short, yes , people are still using FTP sites to send and receive files. That begs the question: why use FTP when there are other options with greater security on the market? There are a couple of different reasons. Second, companies or their employees may just not be aware of the risks of non-secure data sharing.

If other companies are using FTP to share files, should you? Even if you invest in separate encryption software for the files you want to send, your login credentials are transmitted over the internet in clear text. This is no small undertaking. In fact, even though using FTP to send files is free, it could potentially cost your company tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in noncompliance fines.

You could also lose business, deal with the repercussions of a damaged reputation, or in the most extreme cases, face criminal penalties.