How to use FTP with FileZilla
If you are a newly aspiring webmaster or a seasoned veteran looking to check out new software, then this guide is for you.
File transfer protocol (FTP for short) is a standard communication protocol used for the transfer of computer files from a server to a client on a computer network. FTP is built on a client-server model architecture using separate control and data connections between the client and the server.[1] FTP users may authenticate themselves with a clear-text sign-in protocol, normally in the form of a username and password, but can connect anonymously if the server is configured to allow it. For secure transmission that protects the username and password, and encrypts the content, FTP is often secured with SSL/TLS (FTPS) or replaced with SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). — Wikipedia
You can use FTP on your server using a variety of methods and/or software. For this guide, we will use a simple, fast, open-source, and free method using FileZilla. FileZilla is an FTP client which is used to connect to your web server via an FTP port with the purpose of exchanging files.
Prerequisites
To start our journey into FTP stardom we will need a few things.
- A webserver with FTP installed. vsftpd is a popular FTP server.
- An FTP user or login credentials with admin privileges.
- FTP client software, in this case, FileZilla.
- A computer running Windows, Linux, or macOS.
Step 1 — FileZilla
Before we get started uploading your web files, we will need the FTP client to do so. Navigate over to FileZilla’s website and you will see two download buttons. Since we are only connecting to a server to upload/download files, we will need to select the “Download FileZilla Client” button.
Follow through with the installer until FileZilla is successfully set up on your computer. As mentioned in the prerequisites, FileZilla works on pretty much all operating systems.
Step 2 — Navigating the client & terminology
With most FTP clients, you will find the most important part is normally front and center. In order to connect to a web server via FTP you will need to know:
- Host — This can be the IP address of the server or an address like ‘ftp@exmaple.com’.
- Username — The FTP user account. Can be the root username or a user with admin/assigned privileges.
- Password — The password of the account attempting FTP access.
- Port — Almost always is going to be port ‘22’. Unless this is changed.
Now that we have some basic terms out of the way, you will notice all the windows in the client. Below the Quickconnect bar, there is a bog for log information. Which shows information about the FTP connection, if the connection succeeded or failed, etc. Think of it as an error log.
On the left side, there are two stacked windows. These show your local files. This allows you to easily navigate your computer for the files you want to upload to your server.
On the right side, there are another two stacked windows. These are similar to the local windows except these will show the files on the server you are connected to via FTP.
The bottom window is the file transfer window. Which displays the files currently in a queue (waiting to be uploaded or downloaded), failed transfers, and successful transfers.
Generally, all if not the majority of FTP clients will look very similar to FileZilla in some capacity. You can always try out different software like CyberDuck, which is my personal favorite when I use my MacBook.
Step 3 — Connect to a server & transfer files
Now that we understand the basic workings of an FTP client. Let’s connect to our server.
Looking back at our previous example at the beginning of step 2, we will need to input the information in the ‘Quickconnect’ bar. Your server’s hostname, username, password, and port number. Once filled out click the ‘Quickconnect’ button.
If the information you provided is correct (and the server has an FTP server like vsftp installed on it) you should see ‘status’ messages flooding the log window followed by a successful connection message.
As you can see, I have successfully connected to my server and now the files on that server are listed in the “Remote site” windows of the client.
Transferring files
There are two ways you can transfer files to your web server. First, make sure you open the folder you want the files to go to in the “Remote site” window. You can see I have ‘httpdocs’ selected which shows: CSS, fonts, img, js, less, contact.html, and index.html. All of these are the folders and files that make up my website.
I mentioned there are two ways you can upload files. The first is by simply clicking and dragging your selected files from your computer directly into the folder you want the file(s) to go. Just like moving files around your local computer. The second is using the “Local site” window on the left side to navigate to the file(s) on your computer and then clicking and dragging from there.
In the image above you can see a transferred file labeled ‘helloworld.txt’ to my ‘httpdocs’ folder (which is my public folder in Plesk). You can also see in the bottom transfer window where my file was successfully transferred.
Hopefully, you have a good understanding of how to FTP into your server and transfer files. If you have questions please feel free to comment on this article.
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