File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
What is File Transfer Protocol (FTP)?
File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, is a network protocol used to transfer files between a client and a server over a TCP/IP network.
Examples
- A website administrator uploads image files and web pages from a local computer to a hosting server using an FTP client.
- An organization uses an older internal process that pulls reports from a server through FTP each night.
Discover 🔎
Moving files between systems sounds simple, but in networking it requires agreed rules. The sending system needs to know how to connect, how to identify the file, how to transfer it, and how to confirm that the other side is ready. FTP was one of the early standard ways to do that, which is why it became widely used for sharing files across networks.
For many years, FTP was common in website management, software distribution, data exchange, and administrative work. It helped organizations send files reliably from one system to another. Even though newer and safer alternatives are now preferred in many environments, FTP still appears in legacy systems and remains important to understand because it teaches both protocol basics and security lessons.
Summary 📝
FTP is a protocol designed to move files between systems over a network. It became widely used because it provided a standard way to upload, download, and manage files remotely. Its major weakness is that traditional FTP does not protect credentials or data well enough for modern security expectations, which is why safer alternatives are now preferred.
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