Many people wonder how the files for the websites get to their respective hosting accounts
. There is a special protocol that is used to transfer the files for the websites from one location to another. This is called the FTP. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. This service helps to make a direct connection between one computer and another to enable the transfer of files and folders only. FTP only helps in the transfer of files and no other functions can be performed using FTP.
There are two aspects to FTP. The first aspect of FTP is the FTP server. This generally runs on the web server. This helps to get the files that you need to the hosting account easily. Web servers generally run on a specific port. In most cases, this port is 21 by default. However, if needed, it can be set to run on a different port. You need a username and password in order to access an FTP server. In some cases, the FTP server is setup to let anyone access the server without a username and password. However, in most cases this does not happen due to security reasons.
The second aspect to FTP is the FTP client. The FTP client is software that runs remotely to help access the FTP server. This software is very basic in its function.
All it needs is a server address, user name, password and port. The process to transfer files will be easy and familiar once you are connected to the FTP server with your FTP client. The files can be copied by either dragging and dropping or copying and pasting files from you local computer to the remote server.