How to Use FTP for File Transfer?
To transfer files via File Transfer Protocol (FTP), you need to establish an FTP connection. To make an FTP connection you can use a standard Web browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc.) or an FTP Client. To transfer a file with FTP you need to have an FTP account for the web space you are going to transfer the file to.
When using a web browser for an FTP connection, FTP uploads are sometimes very slow, and downloads are not protected (not recommended for uploading or downloading large files).
WS_FTP is one of the best FTP clients, but requires a purchase. FileZilla leads the pack of free FTP clients and is the most often used.
FTP Client Software
An FTP Client is a software designed to transfer files back-and-forth between a computer and a server over the Internet. It needs to be installed on your computer and can only be used with a live connection to the Internet.
With an FTP Client (such as FileZilla, Cyberduck or Transmit) uploading/downloading a file is really easy. Furthermore, FTP clients have some extra features. For example, you can resume a download that did not finish successfully. This is a very nice feature for people with slower Internet connections.
FTP clients' interface is usually divided in two - the panel on the left shows the files and folders on your computer (Desktop, My Documents, etc,) and the panel on the right displays the files on the remote server (if this is your website hosting account, you will see the public_html folder, where the files of your site are stored).
FTP File Transfer
File transfers are made by simply dragging and dropping files from one pane to the other. Additional features of the FTP Client include: multiple file transfers at a time, auto resuming of the transfer, file queuing and more.
The websites for each FTP client will provide information about setup and using that particular client.
Free FTP Client Software
