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FAQ » What is the difference between FTP and HTTP?
What is the difference between FTP and HTTP?
[Excerpted and edited from "The Answer Geek" (no longer published)] The Cadillac of File Transfers FTP, unlike its distant cousin HTTP, is a protocol from “the old days” of the Internet, that has some snappy features under the hood worth investigating. FTP, originally written in 1971 and revised several times before its current incarnation was decided in 1985, was designed for transferring files between computers over the Internet. FTP not only allows for file downloads, but also file uploads, deletions, file directory manipulations and more. It is much faster than asking someone to send the file as an e-mail attachment. FTP was designed with security in mind and requires a password for access. However, it also allows for guest logins to public areas. These areas are set up by site administrators and generally contain software and other public information. This guest access is typically what you would use with your Web browser. Guest access is also called "Anonymous FTP" and is not permitted at FTP Today (see above). If you click on a hyperlink that begins with ‘FTP://’ you are most likely being directed to the guest area of an FTP server. FTP works great for this and provides nearly instant gratification. Aside from the cool features of FTP, it is generally thought of as a more efficient protocol than HTTP. This means that larger files are transported more quickly with FTP—something all of us surfers really appreciate. This efficiency comes with a price (doesn’t this always happen?) because FTP servers are usually more difficult to set up correctly than HTTP servers. Depends on What You’re Looking For So, which one should you use if you are setting up a download area on your Web site? It depends. If you are offering smaller files (under 1.5MB) and don’t need to be bothered with file access security, then HTTP is for you. If your files are large, you need to administer your downloadable files from a remote location, or you have to take advantage of access security, FTP is your best choice. |
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