FTP protocol

The FTP protocol is part of the Internet standards and serves to transmit large amounts of information. The first specifications, in which this data transfer protocol was, appeared in 1971. Since that time, the possibilities of FTP have significantly expanded and it's hard to imagine how users would be able to do without it if they needed to download or upload several gigabytes of needed files to the online storage. And how much time would it take to move the site from the local machine to the server, or vice versa? Of course, you can use the archiver, but what if the server does not support this function? It's scary to even imagine. So FTP is a very useful tool.

The term "protocol" means a consistent format for the exchange of information between two devices. And the abbreviation stands for "file transfer protocol", which can be translated as "protocol for file transfer." To transfer information, the FTP protocol uses a TCP channel. Exchange is built on the principle of "client-server". Send confidential information on this protocol can not be, because there is no data protection in it and plaintext is transmitted to the server. Of course, usually you need to authenticate to connect to an FTP server, but you should not rely on it because the user's ID and password are transmitted in clear text.

FTP-protocol is used to exchange information with FTP-sites, which are huge storage of useful and interesting information. Files on the FTP site are located in a tree-like directory structure, just like a local computer. In order to view the contents of the repository, you can use any browser, but it is better, of course, to use a specially created program for this. Users who prefer to work with the OS command line can use the "ftp" command.

Some FTP sites have restrictions on access to their resources. Sometimes, in order to enter them, you need to know the login and password of the registered user. Most FTP sites allow you to download files without entering a password. But it is impossible to write down your data on such resources.

How to use FTP if your OS is not Windows

If you prefer Linux, you can see the documentation for the available operations by typing the command $ man ftp. And in order to connect to the FTP server, you need to dial $ ftp yoursite.at.domain. Most often, such commands are used:

• Binary - change the mode to transfer binary (non-text) files, for example, images;
• Ascii - switching to the transmission of textual information;
• Cd foldername - change the current directory on the remote computer to the folder named foldername;
• Dir - view all files in the current directory of the remote computer;
• Help - help with the use of commands;
• Mget - simultaneous download of several files;
• Put filename - serves to load a local file filename to a remote resource;
• Mput - downloading multiple files to a remote resource;
• Exit - exit from FTP and exit to the OS.

You can also use programs such as gFTP, FOFF and FileZilla.

How to use FTP if you prefer Windows

In this case, everything is much simpler, and any FTP client that is easy to find on the network is suitable for you. Of the free most popular applications such as FileZilla, FTPInfo, WinSCP. A connection using the FTP protocol can also be supported by such popular file managers as Total Commander and FAR manager. So, if you do not use this protocol often, then you can do without them.

Well, if you just needed to download something one time, you can type the following command in the browser instead of the URL:

Ftp: // user: password@site.at.domain: port, where

Site.at.domain - the name of the server,

Port is the port number for the connection (usually it's 21, and you can skip it).

If you need to connect to anonymous FTP, then the abbreviated command entry is used:

Ftp: //host.at.domain: port

It happens that there are some problems when connecting via FTP. In this case, it makes sense to check the FireWall and antivirus settings.