File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard protocol used on network to transfer the files from one host computer to another host computer using a TCP based network, such as the Internet.
FTP uses separate control and data connections between the client and the server. To use FTP server, users need to authenticate themselves using a sign-in protocol, using a username and password, but can connect anonymously if the server is configured to allow it. For secured transmission the data encrypts (hides) the username and password, and even encrypts the content, using SSL.
To transfer files with FTP, use a program often called the client. An FTP client program initiates a connection to a remote computer running FTP server software. After the connection is established, the client can choose to send and/or receive files. To connect to an FTP server, a client requires a username and password as set on the server. Many FTP servers use a username as “anonymous”. Using FTP, you can also update (delete, rename, move, and copy) files at a server. You need to logon to an FTP server. However, publicly available files are easily accessed using anonymous FTP.
FTP using TCP/IP, works in the same way as HTTP used for transferring Web pages from a server to a user’s browser. FTP sites are heavily used and require several attempts before connecting.
To use your web browser to connect to an FTP site, where you normally enter a URL as follows: ftp://username@ftp.site name/
