Definition: FTP

(1) See also FTTP.

(2) (Foil Twisted Pair) See twisted pair.

(3) (File Transfer Protocol) A protocol used to transfer files over an IP network. For example, after developing the HTML pages for a website on a local machine, they are typically uploaded to the Web server using FTP.

FTP includes functions to log in to the network, list directories and copy files. It can also convert between the ASCII and EBCDIC character codes. FTP operations can be performed by typing commands at a command prompt or via an FTP utility running under a graphical interface such as Windows. FTP transfers can also be initiated from within a Web browser by entering the URL preceded with ftp://.

FTP vs. Email
Email was designed for ASCII text only. In order to include other file types such as images and programs in an email message, they have to be converted to a full binary format and "attached" to the message. FTP was designed to handle binary files intact.

FTP vs. HTTP
When you download a Web page, the HTTP protocol is used. HTTP and FTP operate in a similar manner for file transfer, and both support binary files.

Also a Verb
The term is also used as a verb; for example, "let's FTP the file." See FTP commands, SFTP, anonymous FTP and TFTP. See also FTTP.

FTP Utility

Ipswitch's WS_FTP Pro makes FTP'ing easy under Windows. After logging in and switching to the appropriate folders on the local and remote systems, transferring files requires only highlighting, dragging and dropping.