An Overview of the File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and is the simplest and most reliable way to transfer files from a remote host to your local PC or from your local PC to a remote host. When constructing a web page on your local PC, you will need to transfer that page to your web host so that others can visit the page using their browser.

Some WYSIWYG editors have a built-in FTP program, and while using the editor you can simply drag and drop files (usually referred to as "publishing") much the same way you do when you drag and drop files on your local PC using a file manager. The fact that the FTP program is built-in really doesn't do much for teaching you that there are really two separate tools and steps involved: editing a file (using your HTML editor) and FTPing the file (using your built-in FTP program).

Many developers prefer to use plain text editors for creating content and then using an FTP application to "send" the completed file up to the webserver. It is convenient to have FTP built into your editing software but there will always be occasion to manually send up files.

I've used many FTP applications over the years such as CuteFTP, SmartFTP, and WS_FTP and I've always returned to open source and FREE FileZilla Client and I use it every single day. Nearly all FTP programs provide exactly the same features and operate the same way.

It is sometimes easier to think of the webserver as a thumbnail drive that you plug into your laptop. When you plug in the drive, it becomes an extra drive letter and then you can easily transfer files from your local drive to the thumbnail drive and back again using the File/Folder Manager on your PC.

Your hosting account, then, is really just another drive but to see it, you must launch an FTP program and login using the FTP username and password that your hosting provider gave you. The FTP program acts just like the File/Folder Manager on your PC in that you can view your local files/folders in one window and the files/folders in your website in another window. Using an FTP program then allows simple drag and drop of files, either from your local PC to your web host or from your web host to your PC.

There are many reasons to use FTP as a stand-alone program, but here are my top reasons:

FTP allows you to specifically set permissions on files, such as installation files and executables which need specific permissions for security reasons. It also allows you to specifically delete install files that should not remain on the server once the application has been installed.
When you are creating a site you likely will be creating additional support files such as images, PowerPoint presentations, PDF, etc. You'll be able to upload these support files independent of the page that links to them.
Easily rename files and/or delete files and folders that are no longer needed.
Create screen captures of file listings in directories, and visually see how files and folders are organized.

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