{"id":23237,"date":"2026-09-30T21:18:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T02:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/?p=23237"},"modified":"2026-09-30T21:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T02:18:09","slug":"what-is-ftp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/what-is-ftp\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is FTP? File Transfer Protocol Explained"},"content":{"rendered":" <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;ve ever moved a file from your computer to a website, you may have come across FTP without realizing it. FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, has been around for <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rfc-editor.org\/rfc\/rfc959.html\">more than 50 years<\/a>, making it one of the internet&#8217;s oldest ways to move files from one computer to another.<\/p> <div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-color:#123044;border-width:1px;border-radius:8px;background-color:#f5fbff;margin-top:28px;margin-bottom:38px;padding-top:28px;padding-right:28px;padding-bottom:28px;padding-left:28px\"> <p class=\"custom_key wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list custom_underline\"> <li><strong>FTP meaning:<\/strong> It stands for File Transfer Protocol and provides rules for transferring files over a network.<\/li> <li><strong>What FTP does:<\/strong> It lets you upload, download, and manage files on a remote server.<\/li> <li><strong>FTP server:<\/strong> An FTP server is a computer or server that provides access to files through FTP.<\/li> <li><strong>FTP client:<\/strong> An FTP client is the software you use to connect to an FTP server and transfer files.<\/li> <li><strong>FTP vs. SFTP:<\/strong> SFTP uses SSH to create an encrypted connection, while traditional FTP isn&#8217;t encrypted by default.<\/li> <\/ul> <\/div> <h2 id=\"h-what-is-ftp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Is FTP?<\/strong><\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/csrc.nist.gov\/glossary\/term\/file_transfer_protocol\">FTP<\/a> is a standard way for computers to transfer files over a network. Think of it like a delivery service for digital files. You have a file on your computer, and you want to send it somewhere else. FTP provides the rules that let your computer and another computer communicate so you can transfer the file.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can use FTP to upload files to a remote computer or download files from it. It can also handle tasks like creating directories, renaming files, and deleting files, depending on your access.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FTP isn&#8217;t a website or an app. It&#8217;s a protocol, which, simply put, is just a set of rules computers follow when communicating.<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-what-is-ftp-used-for\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Is FTP Used For?<\/strong><\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Common uses include:<\/p> <script>(function(){if(document.getElementById(\"mh-livecss-23237-1\"))return;var s=document.createElement(\"style\");s.id=\"mh-livecss-23237-1\";s.textContent=\"\\n .uses-card {\\n max-width: 850px;\\n margin: 20px auto;\\n padding: 28px;\\n background: #ffffff;\\n border: 1px solid #e5e7eb;\\n border-radius: 16px;\\n box-shadow: 0 8px 24px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06);\\n font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\\n }\\n\\n .uses-card ul {\\n margin: 0;\\n padding: 0;\\n list-style: none;\\n display: grid;\\n gap: 12px;\\n }\\n\\n .uses-card li {\\n position: relative;\\n padding: 15px 18px 15px 48px;\\n background: #f8fafc;\\n border-radius: 10px;\\n color: #374151;\\n font-size: 16px;\\n line-height: 1.5;\\n }\\n\\n .uses-card li::before {\\n content: \\\"\\u2713\\\";\\n position: absolute;\\n left: 16px;\\n top: 50%;\\n transform: translateY(-50%);\\n width: 22px;\\n height: 22px;\\n display: flex;\\n align-items: center;\\n justify-content: center;\\n background: #2563eb;\\n color: #ffffff;\\n border-radius: 50%;\\n font-size: 13px;\\n font-weight: bold;\\n }\\n\";document.head.appendChild(s);})();<\/script> <div class=\"uses-card\"> <ul> <li>Uploading files to a website<\/li> <li>Downloading files from a server<\/li> <li>Moving large numbers of files<\/li> <li>Managing website files and folders<\/li> <li>Transferring files between computers on a network<\/li> <\/ul> <\/div> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You won&#8217;t need FTP to send a photo to a friend or share a document with a coworker. Cloud storage, email, and messaging apps are much simpler for those jobs.<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-how-does-ftp-work\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Does FTP Work?<\/strong><\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FTP uses two sides: a server that provides the files and a client that connects to the server.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The basic process looks like this:<\/p> <script>(function(){if(document.getElementById(\"mh-livecss-23237-2\"))return;var s=document.createElement(\"style\");s.id=\"mh-livecss-23237-2\";s.textContent=\"\\n .ftp-process {\\n max-width: 850px;\\n margin: 20px auto;\\n padding: 28px;\\n background: #ffffff;\\n border: 1px solid #e5e7eb;\\n border-radius: 16px;\\n box-shadow: 0 8px 24px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06);\\n font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\\n }\\n\\n .ftp-process ol {\\n margin: 0;\\n padding: 0;\\n list-style: none;\\n counter-reset: process;\\n display: grid;\\n gap: 12px;\\n }\\n\\n .ftp-process li {\\n counter-increment: process;\\n position: relative;\\n padding: 15px 18px 15px 58px;\\n background: #f8fafc;\\n border-radius: 10px;\\n color: #374151;\\n font-size: 16px;\\n line-height: 1.5;\\n }\\n\\n .ftp-process li::before {\\n content: counter(process);\\n position: absolute;\\n left: 16px;\\n top: 50%;\\n transform: translateY(-50%);\\n width: 28px;\\n height: 28px;\\n display: flex;\\n align-items: center;\\n justify-content: center;\\n background: #2563eb;\\n color: #ffffff;\\n border-radius: 50%;\\n font-size: 13px;\\n font-weight: bold;\\n }\\n\";document.head.appendChild(s);})();<\/script> <div class=\"ftp-process\"> <ol> <li>You open an FTP client.<\/li> <li>You enter the FTP server&#8217;s address and your login information.<\/li> <li>The client connects to the server.<\/li> <li>You browse the files and folders you have permission to access.<\/li> <li>You upload, download, or manage files.<\/li> <li>You disconnect when you&#8217;re finished.<\/li> <\/ol> <\/div> <figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info1-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"How FTP moves files between a client and a server\" class=\"wp-image-23239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info1-150x150-1.png 150w, https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info1-280x280.png 280w, https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info1-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info1.png 1254w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FTP client handles the communication with the server, so you don&#8217;t have to know FTP commands to transfer a file.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FTP also uses separate connections for sending commands and transferring data. This is part of the protocol&#8217;s underlying design.<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-what-is-an-ftp-server\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Is an FTP Server?<\/strong><\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An FTP server is a computer or server that allows files to be accessed through an FTP connection.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, a web hosting server may have all the files that make up a website. If you have FTP access, you can connect to that server and work with those files.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What you&#8217;re allowed to do depends on your permissions. You may be able to upload and download files, while other users may have permission to do more or less.<\/p> <div class=\"mh-callout mh-callout-related\" style=\"display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:14px;margin:22px 0;padding:16px 18px;border-radius:8px;background:#f8fafc;border:1px solid #d9e2ea;\"><div class=\"mh-callout-ico\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"flex:0 0 22px;width:22px;height:22px;overflow:hidden;margin-top:2px;line-height:0;\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><path d=\"M5 4.5A2.5 2.5 0 0 1 7.5 2H20v18H7.5A2.5 2.5 0 0 0 5 22.5V4.5Z\" fill=\"#eef3f8\" stroke=\"#3d5a73\" stroke-width=\"1.7\"\/><path d=\"M8.5 6.5h8.5M8.5 10h8.5M8.5 13.5h6\" stroke=\"#3d5a73\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/div><div class=\"mh-callout-body\" style=\"min-width:0;flex:1;\"><p style=\"margin:0;text-align:left;\"><strong>Related Guide<\/strong><br>FTP is how many people still drop files onto a host. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/how-does-web-hosting-work\/\">How web hosting works<\/a> explains the server those files land on.<\/p><\/div><\/div> <h2 id=\"h-what-is-an-ftp-client\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Is an FTP Client?<\/strong><\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An FTP client is the software you use to connect to an FTP server.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most clients give you a visual way to work with files. You might see the files on your computer in one section and the files on the server in another. From there, you can move files between the two.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is generally where FTP becomes much less intimidating. Once you&#8217;re connected, transferring a file can be as simple as dragging it from one side of the window to the other.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info2-819x1024.png\" alt=\"FTP client window for uploading website files\" class=\"wp-image-23240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info2-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info2-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info2-767x959.png 767w, https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info2-120x150.png 120w, https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-info2.png 1122w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure> <h2 id=\"h-how-to-ftp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to FTP<\/strong><\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If someone tells you to &#8220;FTP a file,&#8221; they&#8217;re usually asking you to connect to an FTP server and transfer a file.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You&#8217;ll usually need:<\/p> <script>(function(){if(document.getElementById(\"mh-livecss-23237-3\"))return;var s=document.createElement(\"style\");s.id=\"mh-livecss-23237-3\";s.textContent=\"\\n .ftp-requirements {\\n max-width: 850px;\\n margin: 20px auto;\\n padding: 26px;\\n background: #ffffff;\\n border: 1px solid #e5e7eb;\\n border-radius: 16px;\\n box-shadow: 0 8px 24px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06);\\n font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\\n }\\n\\n .ftp-requirements ul {\\n margin: 0;\\n padding: 0;\\n list-style: none;\\n display: grid;\\n gap: 12px;\\n }\\n\\n .ftp-requirements li {\\n position: relative;\\n padding: 15px 18px 15px 52px;\\n background: #f8fafc;\\n border-radius: 10px;\\n color: #374151;\\n font-size: 16px;\\n line-height: 1.5;\\n }\\n\\n .ftp-requirements li::before {\\n content: \\\"\\u2713\\\";\\n position: absolute;\\n left: 16px;\\n top: 50%;\\n transform: translateY(-50%);\\n width: 24px;\\n height: 24px;\\n display: flex;\\n align-items: center;\\n justify-content: center;\\n background: #2563eb;\\n color: #ffffff;\\n border-radius: 50%;\\n font-size: 13px;\\n font-weight: bold;\\n }\\n\";document.head.appendChild(s);})();<\/script> <div class=\"ftp-requirements\"> <ul> <li>An FTP client<\/li> <li>The server address<\/li> <li>A username<\/li> <li>A password<\/li> <li>A port number, if one is required<\/li> <\/ul> <\/div> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once you have that information, the process is usually straightforward.<\/p> <script>(function(){if(document.getElementById(\"mh-livecss-23237-4\"))return;var s=document.createElement(\"style\");s.id=\"mh-livecss-23237-4\";s.textContent=\"\\n .ftp-steps {\\n max-width: 850px;\\n margin: 20px auto;\\n padding: 26px;\\n background: #ffffff;\\n border: 1px solid #e5e7eb;\\n border-radius: 16px;\\n box-shadow: 0 8px 24px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06);\\n font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\\n }\\n\\n .ftp-steps ol {\\n margin: 0;\\n padding: 0;\\n list-style: none;\\n counter-reset: ftp-step;\\n display: grid;\\n gap: 12px;\\n }\\n\\n .ftp-steps li {\\n counter-increment: ftp-step;\\n position: relative;\\n padding: 16px 20px 16px 60px;\\n background: #f8fafc;\\n border: 1px solid #eef2f7;\\n border-radius: 10px;\\n color: #374151;\\n font-size: 16px;\\n line-height: 1.55;\\n }\\n\\n .ftp-steps li::before {\\n content: counter(ftp-step);\\n position: absolute;\\n left: 16px;\\n top: 50%;\\n transform: translateY(-50%);\\n width: 30px;\\n height: 30px;\\n display: flex;\\n align-items: center;\\n justify-content: center;\\n background: #2563eb;\\n color: #ffffff;\\n border-radius: 50%;\\n font-size: 13px;\\n font-weight: bold;\\n }\\n\";document.head.appendChild(s);})();<\/script> <div class=\"ftp-steps\"> <ol> <li>Open your FTP client.<\/li> <li>Enter the server information. Add the address, username, password, and any other connection details you&#8217;ve been given.<\/li> <li>Connect to the server. The FTP client will establish the connection.<\/li> <li>Find the file you want to transfer. You can locate a file on your computer to upload or find a file on the server you want to download.<\/li> <li>Transfer the file.<\/li> <\/ol> <\/div> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many FTP clients let you drag and drop files between your computer and the server.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The exact process varies by client, but these are the basic steps you&#8217;ll follow.<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-ftp-vs-sftp-what-s-the-difference\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>FTP vs. SFTP: What&#8217;s the Difference?<\/strong><\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FTP and SFTP can both transfer files, but there&#8217;s an important difference between them: security.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Traditional FTP does not encrypt the information sent over the connection by default. That makes it a poor choice for transferring sensitive information when security is a concern.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SFTP stands for <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rfc-editor.org\/rfc\/rfc4251.html\">SSH File Transfer Protocol<\/a>. It uses SSH, or Secure Shell, to create an encrypted connection between the client and server.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s a quick comparison:<\/p> <style type=\"text\/css\" id=\"supsystic-table-576_75613-css\">\/* Here you can add custom CSS for the current table *\/ \/* Lean more about CSS: https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cascading_Style_Sheets *\/ \/* To prevent the use of styles to other tables use \"#supsystic-table-576\" as a base selector for example: #supsystic-table-576 { ... } #supsystic-table-576 tbody { ... } #supsystic-table-576 tbody tr { ... } *\/ div#supsystic-table-576_wrapper { width: 60%; margin: 0 auto; } table#supsystic-table-576 { border: none !important; } .supsystic-tables-wrap .dataTables_scrollHead table.supsystic-table { border-bottom: unset !important; } .supsystic-tables-wrap thead th.htCenter { text-align: center !important; } span.discount { margin-top: 6px; display: inline-block; float: left; font-weight: 400; width: 100%; font-size: 12px; } .supsystic-tables-wrap tbody tr td:nth-child(1) { font-size: 13px; } .supsystic-tables-wrap thead th { font-size: 16px; } .supsystic-table tr:nth-child(1) th a:nth-child(3) { background: #1873cd; border: 1px solid #1873cd; } .supsystic-table tr:nth-child(1) th a:nth-child(4) { background: #1873cd; border: 1px solid #1873cd; } .supsystic-table tr:nth-child(1) th .editor_block:nth-child(1) { background: #32cd32; color: #fff; font-size: 14px; position: absolute; padding: 10px 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; top: 0px; left: 0; right: 0; } li.coupon_dis { list-style: none; } .dataTables_scrollBody .editor_block { display: none; } .editor_block::after { content: \"\"; position: absolute; left: 0; right: 0; margin: auto; height: 10px; width: 10px; background: #32cd32; top: 35px; transform: rotate(45deg); } .supsystic-table tr:nth-child(1) a:nth-child(4), .supsystic-table tr:nth-child(1) a.external { color: #fff; padding: 4px 12px; width: 70%; border-radius: 50px; font-size: 9px; margin-top: 10px; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 12px; } .supsystic-table thead th img { width: 200px; margin: 0 auto; display: block; } .supsystic-table tbody tr:last-child td a { background: #00d084; color: #fff; padding: 10px 10px; border-radius: 10px; font-size: 16px; } .supsystic-table tr:nth-child(1) a:nth-child(3), .supsystic-table tr:nth-child(1) a.external { color: #fff; padding: 4px 12px; width: 70%; border-radius: 50px; font-size: 9px; margin-top: 10px; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 12px; } table.dataTable.cell-border tbody th, table.dataTable.cell-border tbody td { border-top: 1px solid #ddd; border-right: 1px solid #ddd; } tr:first-child th { background-color: #fff; border: 1px solid #e1e1e1; } th:first-child, td:first-child { font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: left; } .supsystic-table tbody tr td { padding: 12px 10px !important; } td { font-size: 13px; text-align: center; } .supsystic-table tbody tr:first-child td { border-top: 1px solid #dddddd !important; } .dataTables_scrollBody { border: unset !important; } .supsystic-table tbody tr:last-child td { border-bottom: 1px solid #dddddd; } .supsystic-table thead th { border-bottom: unset !important; border-left: unset !important; } .supsystic-table thead tr:first-child th:first-child { border-radius: 12px 0px 0 0; border-left: 1px solid #dddddd !important; } .supsystic-table thead tr th { border: 1px solid #dddddd; } .supsystic-table thead tr:first-child th:last-child { border-radius: 0 12px 0 0; } .supsystic-table thead tr:last-child th:first-child { border-left: 1px solid #dddddd !important; } .supsystic-table tbody tr:last-child td:first-child { border-radius: 0 0 0 12px; } .supsystic-table tbody tr:last-child td:last-child { border-radius: 0 0 12px 0; } @media screen and (max-width: 767px) { .supsystic-table tbody tr:last-child td a { padding: 8px !important; font-size: 11px !important; } div#supsystic-table-576_wrapper { width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; } } <\/style> <div id=\"supsystic-table-576_75613\" class=\"supsystic-tables-wrap \" style=\" width:100%; visibility: hidden; \" data-table-width-fixed=\"100%\" data-table-width-mobile=\"100%\" ><table id=\"supsystic-table-576\" class=\"supsystic-table cellMaxHeight cellMaxWidth border stripe hover cellMaxWidthRules lightboxImg cell-border\" data-id=\"576\" data-view-id=\"576_75613\" data-title=\"What Is FT\" data-currency-format=\"$1,000.00\" data-percent-format=\"10.00%\" data-date-format=\"DD.MM.YYYY\" data-time-format=\"HH:mm\" data-features=\"[&quot;after_table_loaded_script&quot;]\" data-search-value=\"\" data-loader-icon-name=\"default\" data-loader-icon-items=\"0\" data-loader-color=\"#000000\" data-processing-bg=\"#ffffff\" data-processing-color=\"#000000\" data-lightbox-img=\"\" data-head=\"on\" data-head-rows-count=\"1\" data-pagination-length=\"50,100,All\" data-auto-index=\"off\" data-searching-settings=\"{&quot;columnSearchPosition&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;minChars&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-lang=\"default\" data-override=\"{&quot;emptyTable&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;info&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;infoEmpty&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;infoFiltered&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;lengthMenu&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;search&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;previous&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;next&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;zeroRecords&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;exportLabel&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;file&quot;:&quot;default&quot;}\" data-merged=\"[]\" data-responsive-mode=\"2\" data-responsive-column-settings=\"{&quot;desktop&quot;:{&quot;minWidth&quot;:&quot;1025&quot;,&quot;maxWidth&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;visible&quot;:&quot;*&quot;,&quot;toggle&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;tablet&quot;:{&quot;minWidth&quot;:&quot;768&quot;,&quot;maxWidth&quot;:&quot;1024&quot;,&quot;visible&quot;:&quot;1-5&quot;,&quot;toggle&quot;:&quot;*&quot;},&quot;mobile&quot;:{&quot;minWidth&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;maxWidth&quot;:&quot;767&quot;,&quot;visible&quot;:&quot;1-2&quot;,&quot;toggle&quot;:&quot;*&quot;}}\" data-from-history=\"0\" ><thead><tr><th data-cell-id=\"A1\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"htCenter bold\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"\" data-order=\"\" style=\"min-width: 33.3333%; width: 33.3333%;\" ><\/th><th data-cell-id=\"B1\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"htCenter bold\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"FTP\" data-order=\"FTP\" style=\"min-width: 33.3333%; width: 33.3333%;\" >FTP <\/th><th data-cell-id=\"C1\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"htCenter bold\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"SFTP\" data-order=\"SFTP\" style=\"min-width: 33.3333%; width: 33.3333%;\" >SFTP <\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr style=\"height:px\" ><td data-cell-id=\"A2\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"Full Name\" data-order=\"Full Name\" >Full Name <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B2\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"File Transfer Protocol\" data-order=\"File Transfer Protocol\" >File Transfer Protocol <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C2\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"SSH File Transfer Protocol\" data-order=\"SSH File Transfer Protocol\" >SSH File Transfer Protocol <\/td><\/tr><tr style=\"height:px\" ><td data-cell-id=\"A3\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"Encryption\" data-order=\"Encryption\" >Encryption <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B3\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"Not encrypted by default\u200b\" data-order=\"Not encrypted by default\u200b\" >Not encrypted by default\u200b <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C3\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"Uses an encrypted SSH connection\" data-order=\"Uses an encrypted SSH connection\" >Uses an encrypted SSH connection <\/td><\/tr><tr style=\"height:px\" ><td data-cell-id=\"A4\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"Security\u200b\" data-order=\"Security\u200b\" >Security\u200b <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B4\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"Less suitable for sensitive transfers\" data-order=\"Less suitable for sensitive transfers\" >Less suitable for sensitive transfers <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C4\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"Designed for secure file transfers\" data-order=\"Designed for secure file transfers\" >Designed for secure file transfers <\/td><\/tr><tr style=\"height:px\" ><td data-cell-id=\"A5\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"Technology\" data-order=\"Technology\" >Technology <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B5\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"FTP\" data-order=\"FTP\" >FTP <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C5\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter\" data-cell-type=\"text\" data-original-value=\"SSH\" data-order=\"SSH\" >SSH <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><!-- \/#supsystic-table-576.supsystic-table --><\/div><!-- \/.supsystic-tables-wrap --><!-- Tables Generator by Supsystic --><!-- Version:1.14.2 --><!-- http:\/\/supsystic.com\/ --> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite their similar names, SFTP isn&#8217;t just FTP with added security. It&#8217;s a separate protocol that uses SSH.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re choosing between FTP and SFTP for transferring sensitive files, SFTP is usually the safer option.<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-is-ftp-still-used\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Is FTP Still Used?<\/strong><\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. FTP is an older technology, but it&#8217;s still around.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may find yourself using it when managing a website, working with a server, or using a hosting service that provides access to it.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Newer tools have made file sharing easier for many people, but FTP is still useful when you need direct access to a server&#8217;s files.<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-final-thoughts\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FTP might sound like something reserved for programmers, but the basic idea is pretty simple. Once you understand the difference between an FTP server and an FTP client, the process is easier to picture. And when security matters, knowing the difference between FTP and SFTP is important, too.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want the machine that answers browser requests, read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/what-is-a-web-server\/\">what a web server is<\/a> next.<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-faqs\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>FAQs<\/strong><\/h2> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does FTP stand for?<\/h3> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It&#8217;s a set of rules that allows computers to transfer files over a network.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is FTP used for?<\/h3> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FTP is used to upload, download, and manage files on a remote server. It&#8217;s commonly used for website files or other files stored on a server.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is an FTP server?<\/h3> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An FTP server is a computer or server that provides access to files through an FTP connection. The server also controls what connected users can do.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is an FTP client?<\/h3> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An FTP client is software that connects your computer to an FTP server. It provides an interface for browsing folders and transferring files.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is SFTP more secure than FTP?<\/h3> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. SFTP uses SSH to create an encrypted connection, while traditional FTP does not encrypt the connection by default.<\/p> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;ve ever moved a file from your computer to a website, you may have come across FTP without realizing it. FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, has been around for more than 50 years, making it one of the internet&#8217;s oldest ways to move files from one computer to another. Key Takeaways What Is FTP? [&hellip;]<\/p> ","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":23238,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,437],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers-education","category-internet"],"acf":{"external_author":[12348],"external_editor":"","select_template":"default","not_show_feature_image":true,"hide_toc":false},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-feature-img-768x512.png","author_info":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/author\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.4 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is FTP? File Transfer Protocol Explained<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is FTP? See how File Transfer Protocol moves website files, how an FTP client works, and why SFTP is the safer option.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/what-is-ftp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is FTP? File Transfer Protocol Explained\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What is FTP? See how File Transfer Protocol moves website files, how an FTP client works, and why SFTP is the safer option.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/what-is-ftp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Miami Herald - Careers &amp; Education\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-01T02:18:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-01T02:18:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-feature-img.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":null}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Is FTP? File Transfer Protocol Explained","description":"What is FTP? See how File Transfer Protocol moves website files, how an FTP client works, and why SFTP is the safer option.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/what-is-ftp\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Is FTP? File Transfer Protocol Explained","og_description":"What is FTP? See how File Transfer Protocol moves website files, how an FTP client works, and why SFTP is the safer option.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/what-is-ftp\/","og_site_name":"Miami Herald - Careers &amp; Education","article_published_time":"2026-10-01T02:18:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-01T02:18:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1536,"height":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/What-Is-FTP-feature-img.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":null}},"first_category":{"name":"Internet","url":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/internet\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"attributes":[],"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23237"}],"collection":[{"attributes":[],"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"attributes":[],"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"attributes":{"embeddable":true},"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"attributes":{"embeddable":true},"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23237"}],"version-history":[{"attributes":{"count":4},"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"attributes":{"id":23584},"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23237\/revisions\/23584"}],"acf:post":[{"attributes":{"embeddable":true},"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/external-author\/12348"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"attributes":{"embeddable":true},"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"attributes":[],"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23237"}],"wp:term":[{"attributes":{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true},"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23237"},{"attributes":{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true},"href":"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/careers-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}