FTP is the acronym for File Transfer Protocol.
FTP is an acronym with several uses. The most frequent refers to the English expression File Transfer Protocol (in our language, File Transfer Protocol ), which is used in the field of computing .
FTP is a network protocol : a set of rules that establish how two or more entities must communicate to achieve the transmission of information. In the specific case of FTP, it is a protocol focused on the transfer of files over a TCP/IP type network that is based on the client-server architecture.
The client computer, in this framework, connects to the server through FTP in order to send or download files . This protocol seeks to maximize speed, without resorting to encryption to protect information. That is why applications are often used that allow the transfer of material but with encrypted traffic.
What is FTP for?
Thanks to FTP, two computers that do not use the same operating system can communicate. This is possible since the entities in communication use the same protocol that is already standardized.
What FTP rules do is establish the parameters necessary to achieve the connection (indicating the transfer mode, ports, etc.) and specify what type of operation will be carried out on the file system (add, delete, copy ). As the connection is bidirectional , files can be downloaded and sent simultaneously.
FTP makes it possible to download and upload files.
Establishing communication
Generally, to establish communication the user uses an FTP client , which is software that uses FTP to connect to an FTP server (another program whose function is to enable the exchange of files between different computers). The FTP client, by connecting to the FTP server, can upload or download files from another computer.
In addition to the fact that connected computers do not have to have the same operating system to upload or download files, they do not have to share the same architecture either. In this case, the term architecture refers to the structure and design of a system that functionally describes all the characteristics and requirements for the manufacture of a given type of device, with a primary focus on the way the processor has main way to work and access memory.
Examples of FTP usage
Broadly speaking, we can say that mobile phones with the Android operating system are based on a different processor architecture than computers that use Windows, for example. This does not, therefore, prevent these two groups from connecting with each other to exchange files via an FTP server. In this way, we can send photos and videos from the phone to our computer to make backup copies, a very common practice.
It is important to note that if the exchange of files through an FTP server is carried out between devices that share the same network connection, Internet access is not necessary; In other words, those users who pay for a metered Internet connection, with a monthly consumption limit, should not worry since all the uploads and downloads they make in this context will not use data from their plans.
The case of FileZilla
The most widely used product family for these purposes is FileZilla , which offers both an open source FTP client and server. Thanks to these two options, both free, millions of people configure their file sharing systems every day without problems.
Originally, FileZilla worked exclusively on the Windows operating system, but currently it can also be installed on macOS, FreeBSD and GNU/Linux, among others. It should be noted that it has no relationship with the Mozilla company, despite its name.