FTP
Also known as: File Transfer Protocol
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a protocol for exchanging files with a Web server.
In FTP traffic, a user communicates via an FTP client connected to an FTP server using this protocol. To establish this connection, the user must log in with a username and password or a security key. The user can then browse files and folders on the server and download and upload files to and from this server.
FTP is a common way to place a Web site 's files online on designated hosting space. By default, FTP traffic is not sent encrypted. In order to secure files and passwords, encryption may be used, such as Secure FTP (SFTP) or FTP over SSL.
An example of a popular FTP program is FileZilla. Most Web browsers also have (limited) FTP functionality.
