File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Return to Glossary

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard Internet protocol for transmitting files between computers on the Internet over TCP/IP connections. FTP is a Client-Server Protocol where a dido:public:ra:xapend:xapend.a_glossary:c:client]] will ask for a file, and a local or remote server will provide it.

The end-users machine is typically called the local host machine, which is connected via the Internet to the remote host—which is the second machine running the FTP software.