FTP Explained: Uploading Website Files to Your Hosting Account

FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is a method used to upload, download, or manage files on your hosting server using an FTP client (like FileZilla). Essentially, it is a simple tool to move files from one computer to another.

How would FTP work for me?
Let's assume that you have created a website for yourself, and you have seventy-five web pages that you want to display to people. Instead of copying all of the files to disks and manually placing the files on the Web Server, you could open an FTP client, find the Web Server, navigate to the directory where you need to place the files, and then upload the files.
Thus, FTP is simply used:

1.  to download a file from a server using the Internet, or
2.  to upload a file to a server (e.g., uploading a web page file to a Server).
   
   

How do I upload files using FTP to my hosting account?
You can upload your website files using any FTP client such as FileZilla or WinSCP.
Follow the steps below:

1. Get your FTP details from cPanel/Plesk → FTP Accounts.
   You will need:
   FTP Host: Your hosting server IP address
   Username: The FTP username you created
   Password: Your FTP password
   Port: 21
   
2. Open your FTP client and enter the above credentials:
   Host: Server IP address
   Username: Your FTP username
   Password: Your FTP password
   Port: 21
   
3. Connect to the server
   
4. After connecting, the interface will show two panels:
   Left side: Files on your local computer
   Right side: Files on your hosting account
   
5. Open the folder on the right side where you want to upload your website files (e.g., public_html)
   
6. Drag and drop the files from the left panel (your computer) to the right panel (your hosting account).

FTPS
FTPS (also known as FTP Secure or FTP-SSL) is an extension to the commonly used File Transfer Protocol (FTP) that adds support for the Transport Layer Security (TLS) and the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) cryptographic protocols.

NOTE
FTPS works only on Port 21 on our cPanel Linux Hosting, Plesk Windows Hosting, Single Domain Linux and Windows Hosting, Multi Domain Linux and Windows Hosting, and Reseller Linux and Windows Hosting packages.
Some FTP clients support both FTPS modes: Explicit and Implicit. In such FTP clients, the EXPLICIT (FTPES) mode needs to be selected.

Few FTP clients supporting FTPS
WinSCP
FileZilla
CuteFTP
Core FTP
SmartFTP