FTP… What is it?
This post isn’t for advanced users, but to be a basic overview for people not “in-the-know”.
FTP, or file transfer protocol, was originally created in 1971 – before the birth of the World Wide Web, as a command-line interface (text-based, relying on specific commands). From inception, it was built to transfer files from one host computer to another. In the past 43 years there have been a lot of additions to the core, allowing encrypted (coded to prevent hacker interference) transfer, and client programs have been built to make the experience easier to manage.
Used widely in Web Development, FTP fits perfectly in the large picture analogy that I’ve been using:
If your domain name (example.com) is like your physical Street address, your hosting package is your “land” – and your house/building on that land is your website. FTP is the key that you give to a contractor – so they can get access to do remodeling. Make sense?
From there, the contractor has what they need to start knocking out walls, and rebuilding everything the way you want.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post questions in the comments section below!
Nick LaBrant
Right now, Nick is probably neck-deep in website development, learning more about Wordpress, and scribbling down his next "Tech Nickel" post. Feel free to contact him with any questions you might have - and he'll do his best to get you an answer!