Darlene271

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How to Upload Files to the Internet

upload - Most people have no problem downloading from the web. You usually click a link, then tell the browser where to store it. But how do you get a file out of your computer up to the internet?

To acquire a file up to the internet, use FTP. That means File Transfer Protocol.

What's FTP?

FTP is really a very simple process. The assembler language code for simple FTP is only a few lines long.

upload file free - FTP software is more elaborate obviously. It has error correction, login and safety measures, etc.

FTP Software

upload image - Should you just want to upload a few files, you can use Windows Explorer to upload. It has some peculiarities. And it may try taking some getting used to. But once you get the feel of it, it is not too bad.

You can also use FTP software. You'll find free FTP software. Filezilla is free of charge, and does not come with adware or another such nonsense. And it works quite well.

There is CuteFTP which a lot of people like. It's very user friendly.

Then you have the professional FTP for example WS-FTP Pro. If you are going to upload a lot of files, or very large files, you will want to spend a little money of a professional FTP software. At the time of this writing (December, 2008) Professional FTP software runs lower than $100 USD.

Where to upload files to?

For those who have a website, you can upload your files there.

If you want to share photos with people, you may not even need FTP software. You can find websites like Photobucket which have FTP capability built in to their site. You get what you pay for, though. Photobucket have their limits.

You can also buy "hosting". You may also want to buy a domain name. Should you just want to upload photos or other stuff to share with your friends, you can find a cheap hosting plan. You'll most likely want to buy a domain name. Domain names run about $20 each year or less.

How to upload the files.

Once you have a place to upload to, regardless of which method of uploading you choose, you will need certain information. Here is a list of information you will require for almost any FTP connection. Your host will have a few more things you will have to enter.

The FTP host: This can be an IP address (An Ip looks like 123.45.678.90) or a domain name. Sometimes preceded with "ftp." A standard FTP host may look like: ftp.somewebsite.com
Starting or Home Folder: Your host will need to let you know this. Some common starting folders for websites are /public_html, /wwwroot, /httpdocs... There are several more. Note: You'll likely not enter any leading or trailing forward slashes (/) inside your FTP configuration.
Passive or Active FTP? Try Passive FTP first if you are not sure. It is the most common kind.
Username and password: Self-explanatory. Don't be surprised if your username seems like an email address.
The FTP Port: May very well not ever have to enter the port. Port 21 can be used almost universally.