We have had a few clients in the past who want to transfer large files to us. We have told them to use FTP and their response is typically, “huh?” I have written this simple tutorial to help clients tap into our FTP server to get us large files.
FTP or File Transfer Protocol is a network protocol used to transfer data from one computer to another through a network such as the internet. Simply said, it is a way to transfer files such as large pictures from one computer to another. Pictures are a great example because they are typically large in file size so standard email clients can’t handle them very well and inboxes get full very quickly. This basic tutorial will show you how to set up and FTP from your home or work computer. I am using a Mac, so some of the words or phrases might be different for Windows, but you should be able to figure it out.
Step 1 – Retrieve FTP information from the person you are sending files to. Typically you need the address i.e. ftp.domain.com, a username and password.
Step 2 – Open your FTP Client. If you don’t have one there are many options. If you are using Firefox, you can download an awesome plugin called Fire FTP. I suggest you use Firefox to do all your web browsing anyways for several reasons which won’t be discussed here. You can download Fire FTP by clicking HERE. If you are not using Firefox there is a free desktop based FTP Client called FileZilla. You can download it by clicking HERE.
Step 3 – After you have opened your FTP Client, you need to connect to the FTP Server where you are sending the files.
- FireZilla – If you are using FileZilla, go to File>Site Manager. A new screen should pop up and there will be a button called “Add New Site” – click it. You will want to change the name from “New Site” to the place you are connecting to. Then you will need to type in the host name which for this example is ftp.domain.com. It will ask for a port which is usually just the number 21. It will then ask you for a login type. You will want to change this from Anonyomus to Normal or Ask for A Password. Then you will enter your username and password. Then choose Connect.
- FireFTP – If you are using Fire FTP, you should have Firefox open. Go to “Tools” and then choose FireFTP. A new tab will open and you will see in the top left corner, a drop-down menu. Click on it and choose “Create An Account.” A new window will open. Enter the name of the place you are connect for the Account Name. You can leave the category blank. Then enter the host address – ftp.domain.com. Then enter your username and password and press OK. The window will disappear and you should see your site in the drop down menu. Highlight it and press connect.
Step 4 – In FireZilla and FireFTP, after you connect, you should see the FTP server you connected to on the right hand side and your local machine on the left. Find the files you want to transfer from the navigation on the left. Find the folder on the FTP server you want to put them in.
- FireZilla – You can grab the files you want to transfer and drop them in the right hand box and they should start transferring.
- FireFTP – There are two arrows in the middle of the screen. One is pointing the left and one is pointing to the right. If you want to transfer files from your machine to the server, press the one pointing to the right. If you ever need to get files from the server, press the one pointing to the left.
Step 5 – Your files should upload to the server and you should be able to see them on the right hand side and you are done. Pretty simple.
Please leave a comment if this post helped, hurt, or hindered your FTP expirence.
Although I use Firefox for my browsing, I use FileZilla for my FTPing. FireFTP was a bit buggy for me when I tried it (which was quite a while ago, so it may have improved since then). But FileZilla has never let me down, and the price (free) can’t be beat. FileZilla also has a feature (I’m not sure if FireFTP does) that I’ve been missing for quite some time (since back in the day when I used CuteFTP) which synchronized your browsing. As you move through the folder structure, both sides would move, not just the one you were clicking on. I loved this feature, and missed it in FileZilla, but recently found it again, and love it just as much as I did when I lost it. (it’s under View->Synchronized browsing [CTRL+Y])
Another thing to mention is that drag and drop also works in FileZilla (and I can almost guarantee any other FTP client as well), not just FireFTP. But one gotcha that still bites me every once in a while… if you’re dragging and dropping files, and you drop on a folder (even if it’s way off to the side, where the dates and attributes are), it will upload/download into that folder. So make sure you’re dropping either on a file (which will NOT overwrite the file, but work as expected) or a blank area of the directory listing.
FTP is a bit antiquated these days, also the instructions ignore how to set up an FTP server. I’d recommend lftp for any command line people out there. SFTP is much more prevalent in the developer community these days if that’s what this blog is geared towards.
Rupert, you’re right… we by far prefer SFTP whenever it is available. Often we’ve found a lot of “antiquated” hosting services out there that don’t by default allow SFTP, so FTP seems to be the lowest common denominator for file transfer. Personally, I by far prefer SSH with rsync whenever I can get it.
Regarding setting up an FTP server, I think for Windows the FileZilla FTP server looks pretty easy, but on any Linux or FreeBSD box I’d probably recommend just enabling SFTP in your sshd_config and doing things that way. Not only is it easier to turn on but it is also secure.
Speaking of security, _never_ _ever_ use FTP or Telnet on an untrusted or open wireless network, unless you don’t care that the site get hacked. It is incredibly easy to see FTP and Telnet passwords since they are sent completely in the clear, just like the contents of an email. If you don’t believe how easy it is, go check out dsniff at http://www.monkey.org/~dugsong/dsniff/ and you’ll be a believer.
I can recommend WinSCP as an FTP client if you are on windows. It supports SFTP & SCP too. http://winscp.net/