FTP or File Transfer Protocol is a method to transfer data between computers over the Internet or in a network.

I looked around a bit online to find a good definition of the term. Most definitions compare FTP to other file transfer methods such as HTTP, but it makes little sense to try to define it that way if you are a beginner. The Computer Encyclopedia cam up with a short and relatively simple one.

What is FTP a Definition: “(File Transfer Protocol) A protocol used to transfer files over a TCP/IP network (Internet, Unix, etc.). For example, after developing the HTML pages for a Web site on a local machine, they are typically uploaded to the Web server using FTP.

“FTP includes functions to log onto the network, list directories and copy files. It can also convert between the ASCII and EBCDIC character codes. FTP operations can be performed by typing commands at a command prompt or via an FTP utility running under a graphical interface such as Windows. FTP transfers can also be initiated from within a Web browser by entering the URL preceded with ftp://.”

Until next time

Peter – Your CuteFTP Guide

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