In this article, I wil write about File Transfer Protocol, or FTP for short. Before we begin I would like to say a few things. First off, Freewebs does NOT support FTP. Second, some other web hosts also do not support FTP. Now lets begin.

FTP is used to transfer files from your computer to your server. It makes it much easier to transfer files. If you want to get the gist of what I mean, sign up for freewebs and start uploading files. It takes FOREVER(exaggeration) for a measly 5KB file to upload when you do it through the internet. Now there can be exceptions if you can upload multiple files at once. However, once the files have uploaded, there's always the part where the page reloads. So, in essence, what I'm trying to get at is that FTP is faster, easier because it's quicker to upload files, and just plain better.

So how do I get started? First find a Web Host that supports FTP accounts and sign up for it. Then you need a FTP client. This is the program that you start on your computer that transfers the files to your server. There are many FTP clients, most of them you have to pay for but they usually come with a 30-day trial or something. Here's a list of the ones you have to pay for:

• FlashFXP
• SmartFTP
• CuteFTP
• FTP Explorer

Free FTP programs are pretty easy to find if you search on Google yet they tend to not be as secure. I use a free FTP program but I don't really mind how secure it is. Usually big businesses would want a secure FTP connection to their server. Nevertheless, here's a list of some free FTP Programs:

• FireFTP-This is the one that I use. It is an addon for Mozilla Firefox but it still works the same as any other FTP Program, just in a Web Browser.
• FTP Commander/FTP Navigator
• FileZilla
• AceFTP

If you want a free FTP program, I would go with either FireFTP, FileZilla, or AceFTP. I'm not really sure about the FTP Commander/Navigator one.

Most webmasters use FTP to upload their files to the internet. It's very useful and very quick. If you are an advanced web developer or a just starting web developer, FTP is definetely something to look into.