What Is FTP, And How Do I Use It?

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and it is used to upload files to your website. Websites are hosted on computers called servers, so these servers hold the files for your website. When a visitor to your site visits your website, their computer asks the server for the files. When you create your website, you need to put these files on the server so your visitors can find them. The File Transfer Protocol is used to do this.

How does FTP work?

FTP is a protocol that connects computers together, in order to transfer files from one to the other. One computer has an FTP Server, and the other has an FTP Client installed on it. Using a username, password, and hostname, the FTP Client computer can connect to the FTP Server computer. Once they are connected, files can be transferred, deleted, and more. FTP is basically a way of remotely connecting two computers together to transfer files.

How do I use FTP?

Your hosting provider should provide information about their FTP server, and how to connect to it. For example, they will provide a Username, Hostname, and Password. You can usually find this info in the Client Area or the Control Panel of your web hosting account. To connect to the FTP server, you will need to download FTP Client Software such as FileZilla. There are web-based FTP Clients available, and your hosting provider may even have one already set up for you!

How do I connect to my hosting provider’s FTP server?

You can use the information that your hosting provider provides to connect to the server. You will need a Username, Hostname, Password, and Port Number. FTP uses port 21 (And FTPS uses port 22), but use port 21 if one is not provided. If the FTP software asks for an “Initial Directory”, typing “/” (Without the quotation marks) will usually work just fine. Once you are connected to the server, you will find the contents of your site!

Connect To An FTP Server

Conclusion

Hopefully, this guide has helped you connect to your hosting provider’s FTP server. If you get an error, you may want to open a support ticket with your host to discuss it. As always, let us know if you have any questions, or spotted an error. Happy Uploading!