You just snapped a photo on your laptop. You want it on your personal website.
What do you do?
You don’t email it to yourself. You don’t copy-paste pixels into a text box.
Instead, you transfer the actual file—byte for byte—from your computer to a remote server.
Think of it like hiring a courier: You hand them a sealed envelope (your photo), they drive it downtown to a secure storage locker (your web server), and now anyone with the address can view it online.
That’s FTP—File Transfer Protocol. The unsung workhorse of the early (and still very much alive) web.
So… What Is FTP? FTP is a standard network protocol for moving files between computers over the internet. It’s been around since the 1970s—but don’t let its age fool you. It’s still widely used today, es…
You just snapped a photo on your laptop. You want it on your personal website.
What do you do?
You don’t email it to yourself. You don’t copy-paste pixels into a text box.
Instead, you transfer the actual file—byte for byte—from your computer to a remote server.
Think of it like hiring a courier: You hand them a sealed envelope (your photo), they drive it downtown to a secure storage locker (your web server), and now anyone with the address can view it online.
That’s FTP—File Transfer Protocol. The unsung workhorse of the early (and still very much alive) web.
So… What Is FTP? FTP is a standard network protocol for moving files between computers over the internet. It’s been around since the 1970s—but don’t let its age fool you. It’s still widely used today, especially in:
Small business websites updating menus or product photos Teachers uploading course materials Bloggers adding images to self-hosted sites (yes, even WordPress!) Developers deploying static files to servers You typically use an FTP client (like FileZilla, Transmit, or even command-line ftp) to:
Log in to a server (like showing ID to a courier) Browse your local files and the server’s directory Drag and drop your file into the right folder Watch it appear online—instantly live
But Wait—Is FTP Secure? Plain FTP? Not really. It sends usernames and passwords in plain text—like writing your house key combo on a postcard.
That’s why most modern setups use its secure siblings:
SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol): Encrypted, runs over SSH FTPS (FTP Secure): FTP with SSL/TLS encryption If you’re touching a production server, always prefer SFTP or FTPS.
You’ve Probably Used FTP—Without Knowing It Ever used a “file manager” in cPanel? Uploaded a theme to a WordPress site via “FTP credentials”? Connected your IDE to a live server?
Yep—that was FTP (or SFTP) under the hood.
It’s not flashy like REST APIs or cloud storage dashboards. But it’s reliable, simple, and direct—which is why it endures.
The web isn’t just code in a browser. It’s files—real, tangible files—moved from here to there. And more often than not, FTP is the quiet courier making it happen.
Fun question: What was the first file you ever uploaded to the internet? A Geocities homepage? A MySpace profile pic? A school project?
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