What is File Transfer Protocol

The vast network of computers, which is the Internet, is controlled by an elaborate set of TCP/IP rules, which enable communication and data transfer. Every connection between computers on this network is like a conversation. According to the nature of conversation between two computers, the kind of protocol that is used differs. Out of the many Internet protocols which make data transmission over the Internet possible, one of the most important ones is 'File Transfer Protocol'.

Under the Internet Protocol suite model, FTP is part of the application level protocols that enable communication between machines.The FTP protocol was developed by Abhay Bhushan (an IIT Kanpur and MIT alumni) in the 1970s, while working on the ARPAnet project. The protocol has undergone many revisions since then, though the core remains the same.

About File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

The name of the file transfer protocol itself is self-explanatory. It enables the transfer of files between computers connected over a network, including the Internet. In technical language, FTP is known as a network protocol that enables the transfer of files between computers, that are connected on a TCP/IP based network. It includes a set of rules and procedures for secured digital data transfer. This includes authentication and error handling techniques for establishing connection between a host and client computer for data exchange. Similarly the Hyper Text Transfer protocol (HTTP), handles transfer of web pages from server to client computers.

An FTP transfer is initiated between any server and client computer via port number 21 of the server computer. This port 21 connection is called control connection of any FTP session. The data transfer is enabled by an associated port 20 connection with the server. The control connection must be sustained throughout the FTP based data transfer session, for successful file exchange. In the early days, FTP connections were established through command line based interfaces, but today you can use graphic user interfaces, which have made FTP sessions easier to establish.

Data can be transferred in either block mode, compressed mode or stream mode. FTP does not have inbuilt encryption for data transfer, which makes it quite vulnerable to brute force attacks, bounce attacks and even spoof attacks. When sensitive data needs to be transferred, FTP is naturally, not the first choice. Secure shell protocols are preferred in these cases. Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is another advanced network protocol, which provides more protection for file transfers and file management through remote access.

What are the Applications of File Transfer Protocol

Now that you know what is FTP protocol, let us see what are the prime applications of this protocol. It is primarily used in website development to transfer page files from a client computer to the hosting computer of the website. It is also used by sites for providing file download facility. It is also used for intra-network file transfer on small computer networking systems. Most programs including web browsers have inbuilt support for FTP based data transfers.

As mentioned before, though very simple to implement, FTP is not very secure. Its vulnerabilities have been exposed due to lack of encryption capabilities but it also remains one of the fastest ways of transferring files. If you are planning to start your own website, you will need to know how FTP file transfers work. There are FTP clients (like CuteFTP), which can make your job substantially simpler.