WHAT IS FTP:
FTP means File Transfer Protocol and is one of the possible ways to upload files to your web hosting account.
WHICH FTP CLIENT TO USE:
HOSTBREAK recommends FileZilla for FTP client. It is freely available and Open Source.
You can learn more about it, as well as download it, from:
http://filezilla.sourceforge.netFTP is not widely used for file download due to several reasons:
- It requires specific software or using specific protocol (ftp) in the web browser URL.
- You need to use FTP login details or alternatively Anonymous FTP.
- If using Anonymous FTP everyone can gain access to your FTP directory.
- As a whole by default it is much easier to download files using a hyper link through standard HTTP protocol.
FTP download has several advantages though:
- You can define a directory outside the webroot for FTP.
- You can create FTP logins for a limited user base and provide the details to them only. Thus restricting access to the desired users only.
- It consumes much less server resources than a standard HTTP download.
