A Simple Guide to Using File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Although many blogs in this day and age use WordPress or other similar CMS (content management system), there may still be some off-chance moments when a blog owner will need to upload a quick file, or several files, without necessarily having a blog post in which to put them immediately.

This post will act as a guide for new and veteran bloggers alike who have dealt with some issues when it comes to using FTP.

What Exactly is FTP?

When uploading anything online, one transfers data into a server that hosts the new data.  This data can be any type of file such as an image, video, or JavaScript.  You may have heard this term before by its acronym, FTP.  This is the simplest form of file transferring that was published in 1971.  The practice has since been updated, revised, and revisited with various editions.  For the purpose of this blog post, we will look at methods of using FTP to upload files to a server where you own the domain.

What Do You Mean by “Domain”?

Before doing anything with FTP, you need a domain name, which is widely known as just the domain.  At this point, the assumption is that you have purchased a yearly subscription to a hosting company for your domain.  AmpliFound purchased the domain amplifound.com which is how we are able to manage this website, blog posts, and its uploaded media.  Now that we have a domain, let’s get into setting up the FTP server.

DNS?  TLD?  IP?  SSL?  Server?  Host?  What?

I highly recommend that you do not make any technical changes in the backend of your website if you are not sure what each of the settings do.  Most domain registrars and web hosting companies have default settings that will serve the needs of a standard blog.  These web hosts have their own CMS to simplify the process, but because the nature of web hosting is complex, the “simpler” CMS interface still remains quite complicated.

For example, in order to connect your FTP client to its FTP server, you need a host name, a user name, a password, and a port (sometimes) which can be accessed by going to your host’s domain account settings’ server details which are NOT the domain name system (DNS), IP address, or secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate configuration.  Does this sound confusing?  Absolutely.

The good news is that you do not have to know about a majority of the different details listed in the example above.  The bad news is that the CMS you use does not clearly explain the differences.  But you’re here now reading about how to use FTP with as little pain as possible.  Read on, dear blogger, read on.

FTP Server vs. FTP Client

Well then, how do we set up the FTP server?  Or was it the FTP client we have to set up?  Is it both?  The answer is, “it depends”.  The FTP Server is the location where you would be sending the new files to be hosted.  The FTP Client is the location that has the file you want to send.  So, the FTP server is your website’s remote hard drive and the FTP client is your personal computer hard drive.  You can read about the nitty, gritty technical differences if you want, but this blog post is moving on.

Thankfully, like previously stated, most hosting companies have their own default settings which already have an FTP server ready to use.  I share a website with my friend and we have GoDaddy as our hosting company.  I have installed WordPress to be our CMS for this website.  These steps alone have allowed us to use GoDaddy’s built-in FTP File Manager for our file transfer purposes.

Simple, right?  If you have the same set up, you can now upload files as you please.  Okay, blog post done.

But What About Different Set Ups?

Yes, that is exactly what makes FTP so ambiguous.  Not everyone will use GoDaddy and not everyone will use WordPress, much less both of them at the same time.  The screenshot above shows the FTP File Manager available through GoDaddy, but anyone using a different hosting company will not have this same interface.

Since I cannot predict the hosting company you will use, let’s start with using the same free FTP Client called “FileZilla”.

FileZilla

This section will list steps on how to set up FileZilla as your FTP Client.

The first step in using FileZilla is downloading FileZilla, then installing it once the download completes.

The second step is to open FileZilla.  You will see a similar interface as below.

The third step is entering the Host, Username, and Password.  In most cases, you will not have to specify the Port.

This step is where it gets tricky.  You have to know where to find this information from your hosting company.  One method is by calling them with their helpline and asking for it.  You will just have to wait if they put you on hold.  A better method is to find the domain settings, most likely in a page called “My Account”.

For the purpose of this guide, we will look at GoDaddy’s domain settings to find the information.

Finding Your Server Details

Log into your account on GoDaddy.com.

Click on “My Account” in the top navigation.  You will see something similar to the image below.

Once there, click on “Web Hosting” to bring up the web hosting interface as shown below.

Click the “Launch” button to open the Hosting Details interface and scroll down past the “Account Snapshot” on the right until you see a section called “Server Details”, like below.

Do you see that red box highlighting “HOSTNAME”?  Yes, that is the information you need for the “Host” in FileZilla.  Write this down somewhere or save it in a Notepad file.

Now, we need to find the FTP Username and Password.  Where to find that information may depend, but GoDaddy puts it in a rather easy place to find.  Simply scroll back up until you see a few tabs towards the top called “Domains”, “Hosting”, and “Email”.  You should already be in the Hosting tab since you can see the Server Details.

Hover the mouse over “Files & FTP”, then select “FTP Users”.  If you already have an FTP user set up, you just need to remember what the password was to log in.  My GoDaddy account already had a primary FTP User set up with access to all folders (which I did way back when we registered this domain).

If you do not have one yet, you can create one here.  Go through the prompts on requirements for each login credential.

The “Choose folder” part is where you may get stuck.  When you click on the “Browse” button, you bring up an interface that shows a list of folders.  You can choose any one of these or create a new folder.  The “Single folder” access level is the recommended selection as well.  For the purpose of this guide, let’s create a new folder called “FTP_Files”.

At this point, you have the Host, Username, Password, and new folder to upload files.  Let’s go back to FileZilla.

FileZilla Redux

You just finished the third step in using FileZilla!

So, let’s enter the login credentials and click “QuickConnect”.

You’re in!  The key factors to look for are “Directory listing successful” and the “FTP_Files” folder.  I used the primary FTP User account that has access to all folders, but yours may only have access to the one you created.  Well, let’s upload an image.

This is the easiest part.  Simply drag the file you want uploaded into the empty space of the folder (bottom-left to bottom-right window).  Furthermore, you can download files by dragging them from the FTP server folder to your local folder (bottom-right to bottom-left).  You can also click on the file with your right-mouse button.

There is a longer way of doing this, which I will present just to cover all the bases.  In FileZilla’s top menu, click “Transfer”, then “Manual Transfer”.

You will then need to “Browse” for where your file is located.  You can choose this method to download files already in the FTP server folder as well.

Verify the Uploaded File

Skeptical on how easy the process is after you have the login information?  You can even check to see if the files really are in your domain server.  There are two ways to do this.

One method is to type the whole file’s path in your internet browser’s address bar.

Sure enough, the file I uploaded glares right back at me.

The other method is to type “ftp://yourdomain.com/FTP Folder/”.  For this example, it is actually “ftp://ohimagames.com/FTP_Files/”.  You will need to have your FTP username and password ready to view the files though.

From here, I can see the file has successfully uploaded and view any other files that may be in the folder.

Am I Really Done?

When it comes to setting up your FTP client and uploading/downloading files, yes!

So what will you do now?  Look for some WordPress plugins to install?  Add some social media buttons to your blog?  Maybe you want to track your visitors with Google Analytics?  Whatever concepts you may be looking for, AmpliFound would like to help you develop the type of blog you want to show your audience.

Feel free to stick around and browse through our posts at any time or leave any comments for questions you may have about this one.  We’ll see you back soon!