File Transfer Protocol

File Transfer Protocol can be referred to as a customary Internet protocol for transferring files between two computers over the Internet. Quite close to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which handovers displayable Web pages and correlated files. And, even similar to Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), which handovers e-mail, FTP is an application protocol that uses the Internet's TCP/IP protocols. FTP is usually used to transmit Web page files from their originator to the computer that acts as their server for every person over the Internet. Furthermore, it is universally used to download programs and other files to your computer from other respective servers.

From a user point of view, it is quite easy to use FTP as only with a simple command line interface (for instance, from the Windows MS-DOS Prompt window) or with a commercial program that provides a graphical user interface. Your Web browser can even send across FTP requests so as to download programs you choose from a Web page. By means of FTP, you can within no time delete, rename, move, and copy files at a web server. All you need to do is to logon to an FTP server. Although, files which are available publicly can be easily accessed using anonymous FTP.

Elementary FTP support is generally provided as part of a set of programs that come with TCP/IP. Nevertheless, any FTP client program with a graphical user interface characteristically must be downloaded from the company that creates it.