FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the simplest and most secure way to exchange files over the Internet. The most common uses for FTP is to download files from the Internet, and to upload your website files to your hosting space. The ability to transfer files back-and-forth makes FTP essential for anyone creating a website, amateurs and professionals alike.
An FTP client is software that is designed to transfer files back-and-forth between two computers over the Internet, in this case connecting your computer to our hosting servers. FTP client software needs to be installed on your computer and can only be used with a live connection to the Internet. Popular FTP clients are SmartFTP, FTP Explorer and Core FTP – you can find these and more at www.download.com. FireFTP is a popular FTP plugin for the Firefox web browser which is available at the FireFTP website.
The classic FTP Client look is a two-pane design. The pane on the left displays the files on your computer and the pane on the right displays the files on the remote server.
File transfers are as easy as dragging-and-dropping files from one pane to the other or by highlighting a file and clicking one of the direction arrows located between the panes.
Additional features of the FTP Client include: multiple file transfer; the auto re-get or resuming feature; a queuing utility; the scheduling feature; an FTP find utility; a synchronize utility; and for the advanced user, a scripting utility.
The most common problems with FTP and uploading your files are usually caused by having entered incorrect FTP login details in the connection settings, or security settings and hardware (such as firewall, antivirus, local area network rules, routers, etc) preventing connection such as for example by blocking ports 20 and 21.