FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows a person to transfer files between two computers, generally connected via the Internet. If your system has FTP and is connected to the Internet, you can access very large amounts of files available on a great number of computer systems.

When using FTP, you use a program, called a 'client' to connect to a machine that holds the files, a 'server'.

After logging in, you can then look around and retrieve files. Note that when you retrieve files, you have to know where the files are going to end up on your machine. When retrieving or sending non-text files, you must use binary mode, otherwise the file gets messed up. To do this, use the 'binary' command. (It's safe to set this for text files, but the result might look a bit different from an ASCII transfer) If the site at the other end is non-Unix, you may need to use some other mode.

Commands

All the normal FTP commands may be used to retrieve files. Some FTP commands are the same on different computers, but others are not. Also, some of the ftp sites offer custom commands like getting a directory with one command, 'regetting' a file or searching of directories.

Fetch

It is said: "True to its name, this freeware FTP client is just as faithful as your favorite household pet. From simple file transfers to resumable downloads, Fetch can do just about anything FTP-related--making it a classic among Mac users everywhere."

Description
With this FTP client for the Macintosh, commands that would normally be set by complex Unix commands can be set by Fetch, including the ability to set permissions to directories and files. Drag and drop downloading is supported on Macs that have this feature. Version 3.0.3 is a feature revision that now includes the ability to resume downloads that become interrupted and also corrects a problem where files were not viewed properly from within.

Fetch is a user-friendly Macintosh FTP client; it allows point-and-click, drag and drop file transfers to and from any machine with an FTP server, over a TCP/IP network. Fetch is free to users affiliated with an educational institution or charitable, nonprofit organization; all other users may purchase a license.

Anarchie

The developer's web site states: "Used by over 500,000 people, Anarchie is the only Internet engine that is truly native to the Macintosh platform. It will give you faster, easier and more powerful access to web & ftp sites than your regular web browser."

There are more selections of client based software for Windows users to choose from. Some of the most popular are CuteFTP, BulletproofFTP, and VoyagerFTP. These constitute the most used FTP clients, but there are many other good ones produced by a variety of companies.

To visit CuteFTP, click the logo.

To visit BulletproofFTP, click the logo.

There are some free clients available and two of the more popular are:

LeechFTP

LeechFTP is a free multithreaded FTP client for Windows. All information about any transfer you make is submitted into the Job Queue. Job processing is done by separate threads, so you can then continue browsing directories or connect to another server and begin another transfer. LeechFTP features a remote file viewer and localization capabilities, and fixes minor bugs in this release. This latest version includes proxy support, an updated FTP search interface, various bug fixes, a comctl32.dll check, and support for Windows 2000.

FTP Commander

FTP Commander is a freeware FTP client that offers much of the functionality of commercial FTP programs. It allows you to delete, rename, and copy files, as well as create and delete directories on an FTP server.