File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a client-server protocol which allows a user on one computer to transfer files to and from another computer over a TCP/IP network, as defined by STD 9, RFC 959 in October 1985. The term also refers to client programs using the protocol to transfer files.[1]
History[]
FTP was originally developed by Abhay Bhushan at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for ARPANET. The first specification was published in April 1971 in RFC 114.[2]
Mac support[]
The Finder in Mac OS X and macOS provides read-only access to FTP servers. Uploading files would require a 3rd-party FTP utility, such as:[3]
- CloudMounter, a multiplatform cloud mounting utility for macOS, Linux, and Windows.
- CyberDuck, a commercial libre server and cloud storage browser for macOS and Windows.
- Fetch, an longtime FTP client for classic Mac OS, Mac OS X and macOS.
- FileZilla, a free open source FTP client for all platforms and server for Windows.
- Transmit, a trialware cloud browser and sync utility for macOS.
Deprecation[]
In 2020, Google and Mozilla announced that they were deprecating the FTP protocol in Chrome and Firefox, respectively, in favor of sFTP (based on SSH) due to security considerations.[2]
References[]
- ↑ File Transfer Protocol at the Free On-Line Dictionary Of Computing. 1994-12-01.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 FTP Is Almost 50 Years Old—and It’s Ready to Retire by Ernie Smith, Vice. 2020-09-29.
- ↑ Network address formats and protocols on Mac, Apple Inc. Accessed 2021-10-16.
External links[]
- File transfer apps for Mac in 2019: The good, the bad, and the ugly by Nathan Alderman at iMore (2019-01-13)
- FTP from Mac OS X at OS X Daily (2011-02-07)
- FTP at Computer Hope
- File Transfer Protocol at Wikipedia
