The Difference Between FTP and HTTP :

File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, is a protocol used to upload files from a workstation to a FTP server or download files from a FTP server to a workstation. It is the way that files get transferred from one device to another in order for the files to be available on the Internet. When ftp appears in a URL it means that the user is connecting to a file server and not a Web server and that some form of file transfer is going to take place. Most FTP servers require the user to log on to the server in order to transfer files.

URL starts with:
ftp://


In contrast, Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, or HTTP, is a protocol used to transfer files from a Web server onto a browser in order to view a Web page that is on the Internet. Unlike FTP, where entire files are transferred from one device to another and copied into memory, HTTP only transfers the contents of a web page into a browser for viewing. FTP is a two-way system as files are transferred back and forth between server and workstation. HTTP is a one-way system as files are transported only from the server onto the workstation's browser. When http appears in a URL it means that the user is connecting to a Web server and not a file server. The files are transferred but not downloaded, therefore not copied into the memory of the receiving device.

URL starts with:
http://

Connecting using FTP:
The FTP (File Transfer Protocol) utility program is commonly used for copying files to and from other computers. These computers may be at the same site or at different sites thousands of miles apart. FTP is a general protocol that works on UNIX systems as well as a variety of other (non-UNIX) systems.

For the purposes of this Web page, the local machine refers to the machine you are initially logged into, the one on which you type the ftp command. The remote machine is the other one, the one that is the argument of the ftp command.


Getting Started:
To connect your local machine to the remote machine, type :
# ftp machinename

where machinename is the full machine name of the remote machine, e.g., for.test.purpose.edu. If the name of the machine is unknown, you may type
#ftp machinennumber

Anonymous FTPAt times you may wish to copy files from a remote machine on which you do not have a loginname. This can be done using anonymous FTP.

When the remote machine asks for your loginname, you should type in the word anonymous. Instead of a password, you should enter your own electronic mail address. This allows the remote site to keep records of the anonymous FTP requests.


Once you have been logged in, you are in the anonymous directory for the remote machine. This usually contains a number of public files and directories. Again you should be able to move around in these directories. However, you are only able to copy the files from the remote machine to your own local machine; you are not able to write on the remote machine or to delete any files there.

ftp Learning Links:
Active FTP vs. Passive FTP, a Definitive Explanation
http://slacksite.com/other/ftp.html

For complete FTP commands:
http://www.cs.colostate.edu/helpdocs/ftp.html

What is Needed to Use FTP sFTP :
http://www.uic.edu/depts/accc/network/ftp/vftp.html#h1p02

Commands Used to Transfer Files :
http://www.uic.edu/depts/accc/network/ftp/vftp.html#h1p03