What is an FTP Site?
An FTP (File Transfer Protocol) site is like a large filing cabinet. With a traditional filing cabinet, the person who does the filing has the option to label and organize the files how ever they see fit. They also decide which files to keep locked and which remain public. It is the same with an FTP site. The virtual 'key' to get into an FTP site is the UserID and Password.
When uploading a file to a server, you're actually transferring the file from your computer to another computer over the Internet.
An FTP address looks a lot like a website address, except it uses the prefix ftp:// instead of http://.
Example website address: http://www.mycompany.com
Example FTP address: ftp://ftp.mycompany.com.
A computer dedicated to receiving an FTP connection is referred to as an FTP server or FTP site. To make an FTP connection you can use a standard Web browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.) or a dedicated FTP software program, referred to as an FTP 'Client'.
What is an FTP Client?
In order to download and upload files to an FTP site, you need to connect using special FTP software. There are both commercial and free FTP software programs, and some browser-based free FTP programs as well. An FTP Client is software that is designed to transfer files back-and-forth between two computers over the Internet. It needs to be installed on your computer and can only be used with a live connection to the Internet.
You can use programs such as Cute FTP, Transmit or Fetch if your on a MAC.
Fetch download: http://fetchsoftworks.com/
Cute FTP download: http://www.cuteftp.com/products/ftp_clients.aspx
Connecting to Your FTP Site
Once you have an account set up, your hosting provider will tell you how to upload your files, normally through an FTP server.
Your hosting provider will also tell what their Name Servers address is. These are servers that hold the addresses of the web sites hosted with that company. Every domain name must have a primary nameserver (ns1.domainname.com), and at least one secondary nameserver (ns2.domainname.com). This requirement aims to make the domain still reachable even if one nameserver becomes inaccessible.
Once you have the nameserver addresses, you will need to go back to the company with whom you registered your domain name (GoDaddy, Network Solutions, etc.), and change the nameserver information there to that of your new host. This will point traffic to your specific website on the host provider's ftp server. Your website may not show up immediately. It takes within 48 – 72 hours before you will be able to open your browser and see your site live.
Information needed to connect to an FTP site:
1. The "server address" or "hostname". This is the network address of the computer you wish to connect to, such as ftp.microsoft.com.
2. The username and password. These are the credentials you use to access the specific files on the computer you wish to connect to.
Setting Up Your FTP information
File transfers are as easy as dragging-and-dropping files from one pane to the other or by highlighting a file and clicking one of the direction arrows located between the panes.
Most of your files will go into the "httpdocs" folder. "Httpsdocs" are secure files usually for shopping cart software and things like that.
FTP Server connection example
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