File Transfer Protocol

<table><tbody><tr><td>Internet history timeline</td></tr><tr><td>Early research and development:<ul><li>1960–1964: <a href="/facts/RAND/zArfRxf9">RAND</a> networking concepts developed</li><li>1962–1964: <a href="/facts/DARPA/Uf9sarhT">ARPA</a> networking ideas</li><li>1965 (1965): <a href="/facts/NPL_network/JWc0pxUu">NPL network</a> concepts conceived</li><li>1966 (1966): <a href="/facts/Merit_Network/1qL7oxsn">Merit Network</a> founded</li><li>1967 (1967): <a href="/facts/ARPANET/LyMGWurJ">ARPANET</a> planning begins</li><li>1967 (1967): <a href="/facts/Symposium_on_Operating_Systems_Principles/VhguUHDg">Symposium on Operating Systems Principles</a></li><li>1969 (1969): NPL followed by the ARPANET carry their first packets</li><li>1970 (1970): <a href="/facts/InterNIC/s7DoYDR1">Network Information Center</a> (NIC)</li><li>1971 (1971): <a href="/facts/Tymnet/wFM59Gtb">Tymnet</a> switched-circuit network</li><li>1972 (1972): Merit Network's packet-switched network operational</li><li>1972 (1972): <a href="/facts/Internet_Assigned_Numbers_Authority/b6MlP6zQ">Internet Assigned Numbers Authority</a> (IANA) established</li><li>1973 (1973): <a href="/facts/CYCLADES/kJX66P6D">CYCLADES</a> network demonstrated</li><li>1973 (1973): <a href="/facts/PARC_Universal_Packet/ub0fExbh">PARC Universal Packet</a> development begins</li><li>1974 (1974): <a href="/facts/Transmission_Control_Program/Qq6VeEal">Transmission Control Program</a> specification published</li><li>1975 (1975): <a href="/facts/Telenet/VCgNaKux">Telenet</a> commercial packet-switched network</li><li>1976 (1976): <a href="/facts/X.25/yaGPqw2Y">X.25</a> protocol approved and deployed on <a href="/facts/Public_data_network/sMYs1t3f">public data networks</a></li><li>1978 (1978): <a href="/facts/Minitel/bTmoGeyh">Minitel</a> introduced</li><li>1979 (1979): <a href="/facts/Internet_Architecture_Board/JV2M6FNP">Internet Activities Board</a> (IAB)</li><li>1980 (1980): <a href="/facts/Usenet/lYJWFBR6">USENET</a> news using <a href="/facts/UUCP/dQ055F7b">UUCP</a></li><li>1980 (1980): <a href="/facts/Ethernet/nMfhU8tU">Ethernet</a> standard introduced</li><li>1981 (1981): <a href="/facts/BITNET/oVg6qRYp">BITNET</a> established</li></ul>Merging the networks and creating the Internet:<ul><li>1981 (1981): <a href="/facts/CSNET/alJ5aBQq">Computer Science Network</a> (CSNET)</li><li>1982 (1982): <a href="/facts/Internet_protocol_suite/KNkxtSpw">TCP/IP</a> protocol suite formalized</li><li>1982 (1982): <a href="/facts/Simple_Mail_Transfer_Protocol/TeCRKDpJ">Simple Mail Transfer Protocol</a> (SMTP)</li><li>1983 (1983): <a href="/facts/Domain_Name_System/rfxdWFsj">Domain Name System</a> (DNS)</li><li>1983 (1983): <a href="/facts/MILNET/GGE4YIjI">MILNET</a> split off from ARPANET</li><li>1984 (1984): <a href="/facts/OSI_model/oxN9Xhjz">OSI Reference Model</a> released</li><li>1985 (1985): <a href="/facts/Domain_names/FDLD2m5G">First .COM domain name registered</a></li><li>1986 (1986): <a href="/facts/National_Science_Foundation_Network/b95QF5hR">NSFNET</a> with 56 kbit/s links</li><li>1986 (1986): <a href="/facts/Internet_Engineering_Task_Force/tIcCsFhX">Internet Engineering Task Force</a> (IETF)</li><li>1987 (1987): <a href="/facts/UUNET/ExCXPTcE">UUNET</a> founded</li><li>1988 (1988): <a href="/facts/National_Science_Foundation_Network/b95QF5hR">NSFNET</a> upgraded to 1.5 Mbit/s (T1)</li><li>1988 (1988): <a href="/facts/Morris_worm/moqgLa5t">Morris worm</a></li><li>1988 (1988): Complete <a href="/facts/Internet_protocol_suite/KNkxtSpw">Internet protocol suite</a></li><li>1989 (1989): <a href="/facts/Border_Gateway_Protocol/XfYgBzW3">Border Gateway Protocol</a> (BGP)</li><li>1989 (1989): <a href="/facts/PSINet/kp4KMV4Y">PSINet</a> founded, allows commercial traffic</li><li>1989 (1989): <a href="/facts/Federal_Internet_Exchange/yWKJnNXR">Federal Internet Exchanges (FIX East|FIXes)</a></li><li>1990 (1990): <a href="/facts/Government_Open_Systems_Interconnection_Profile/apFGyLp7">GOSIP</a> (without <a href="/facts/Internet_protocol_suite/KNkxtSpw">TCP/IP</a>)</li><li>1990 (1990): ARPANET decommissioned</li><li>1990 (1990): <a href="/facts/Advanced_Network_and_Services/2hyQa3uF">Advanced Network and Services</a> (ANS)</li><li>1990 (1990): <a href="/facts/UUNET/ExCXPTcE">UUNET/Alternet</a> allows commercial traffic</li><li>1990 (1990): <a href="/facts/Archie_(search_engine)/8EjLUsfL">Archie search engine</a></li><li>1991 (1991): <a href="/facts/Wide_area_information_server/eEaUzhJk">Wide area information server</a> (WAIS)</li><li>1991 (1991): <a href="/facts/Gopher_(protocol)/G2bpDRQJ">Gopher</a></li><li>1991 (1991): <a href="/facts/Commercial_Internet_eXchange/q3lVr6B7">Commercial Internet eXchange</a> (CIX)</li><li>1991 (1991): <a href="/facts/Advanced_Network_and_Services/2hyQa3uF">ANS CO+RE</a> allows commercial traffic</li><li>1991 (1991): <a href="/facts/World_Wide_Web/wvnTrWFq">World Wide Web</a> (WWW)</li><li>1992 (1992): <a href="/facts/National_Science_Foundation_Network/b95QF5hR">NSFNET</a> upgraded to 45 Mbit/s (T3)</li><li>1992 (1992): <a href="/facts/Internet_Society/scIaot5x">Internet Society</a> (ISOC) established</li><li>1993 (1993): <a href="/facts/Classless_Inter-Domain_Routing/YU0SEmfp">Classless Inter-Domain Routing</a> (CIDR)</li><li>1993 (1993): <a href="/facts/InterNIC/s7DoYDR1">InterNIC</a> established</li><li>1993 (1993): <a href="/facts/AOL/MAbT38QS">AOL</a> added <a href="/facts/Usenet/lYJWFBR6">USENET</a> access</li><li>1993 (1993): <a href="/facts/NCSA_Mosaic/qrA52r1E">Mosaic web browser</a> released</li><li>1994 (1994): <a href="/facts/Search_engine/SRntsbz2">Full text web search engines</a></li><li>1994 (1994): <a href="/facts/North_American_Network_Operators%27_Group/kMJqx1uf">North American Network Operators' Group</a> (NANOG) established</li></ul>Commercialization, privatization, broader access leads to the modern Internet:<ul><li>1995 (1995): New Internet architecture with commercial <a href="/facts/Internet_service_provider/dUacAxef">ISPs</a> connected at <a href="/facts/Network_Access_Point/slyWwUdH">NAPs</a></li><li>1995 (1995): <a href="/facts/National_Science_Foundation_Network/b95QF5hR">NSFNET</a> decommissioned</li><li>1995 (1995): <a href="/facts/GOSIP/apFGyLp7">GOSIP</a> updated to allow <a href="/facts/Internet_protocol_suite/KNkxtSpw">TCP/IP</a></li><li>1995 (1995): <a href="/facts/Very_high-speed_Backbone_Network_Service/t2tXNNJF">very high-speed Backbone Network Service (vBNS)</a></li><li>1995 (1995): <a href="/facts/IPv6/d4dg7kIL">IPv6</a> proposed</li><li>1996 (1996): <a href="/facts/AOL/MAbT38QS">AOL</a> changes pricing model from hourly to monthly</li><li>1998 (1998): <a href="/facts/ICANN/2EHgcUU1">Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)</a></li><li>1999 (1999): <a href="/facts/IEEE_802.11/ryEGu6Vq">IEEE 802.11b</a> wireless networking</li><li>1999 (1999): <a href="/facts/Internet2/APYDGudp">Internet2</a>/<a href="/facts/Abilene_Network/njAvcCxy">Abilene Network</a></li><li>1999 (1999): <a href="/facts/VBNS/t2tXNNJF">vBNS+</a> allows broader access</li><li>2000 (2000): <a href="/facts/Dot-com_bubble/dCFWQt0s">Dot-com bubble</a> bursts</li><li>2001 (2001): <a href="/facts/Top-level_domain/azjpPu2M">New top-level domain names activated</a></li><li>2001 (2001): <a href="/facts/Code_Red_(computer_worm)/FIpF7P8R">Code Red I</a>, <a href="/facts/Code_Red_II/JaIzccPA">Code Red II</a>, and <a href="/facts/Nimda/0JhyJeHK">Nimda</a> worms</li><li>2003 (2003): <a href="/facts/World_Summit_on_the_Information_Society/YB1uwGD0">UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) phase I</a></li></ul><ul><li>2003 (2003): <a href="/facts/National_LambdaRail/CEYEVmcT">National LambdaRail</a> founded</li><li>2004 (2004): <a href="/facts/Working_Group_on_Internet_Governance/nSkgQ5Yv">UN Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG)</a></li><li>2005 (2005): <a href="/facts/World_Summit_on_the_Information_Society/YB1uwGD0">UN WSIS phase II</a></li><li>2006 (2006): <a href="/facts/Internet_Governance_Forum/CV6emQNr">First meeting of the Internet Governance Forum</a></li><li>2010 (2010): <a href="/facts/Top-level_domain/azjpPu2M">First internationalized country code top-level domains</a> registered</li><li>2012 (2012): <a href="/facts/Generic_top-level_domain/X0sNABPE">ICANN begins accepting applications for new generic top-level domain names</a></li><li>2013 (2013): <a href="/facts/Montevideo_Statement_on_the_Future_of_Internet_Cooperation/1AGRS70j">Montevideo Statement on the Future of Internet Cooperation</a></li><li>2014 (2014): <a href="/facts/NetMundial_Initiative/xQdRq2r5">NetMundial international Internet governance proposal</a></li><li>2016 (2016): <a href="/facts/ICANN/2EHgcUU1">ICANN</a> contract with U.S. Dept. of Commerce ends, <a href="/facts/Internet_Assigned_Numbers_Authority/b6MlP6zQ">IANA</a> oversight passes to the global Internet community on October 1st</li></ul>Examples of Internet services:<ul><li>1989 (1989): <a href="/facts/AOL/MAbT38QS">AOL</a> dial-up service provider, email, instant messaging, and web browser</li><li>1990 (1990): <a href="/facts/IMDb/uWrqVYVy">IMDb</a> Internet movie database</li><li>1994 (1994): <a href="/facts/Yahoo/nKhTaV3M">Yahoo!</a> web directory</li><li>1995 (1995): <a href="/facts/Amazon_(company)/YzUTUVE8">Amazon</a> online retailer</li><li>1995 (1995): <a href="/facts/EBay/bDswVAKB">eBay</a> online auction and shopping</li><li>1995 (1995): <a href="/facts/Craigslist/sru3Dv3W">Craigslist</a> classified advertisements</li><li>1995 (1995): <a href="/facts/AltaVista/X0C5ts5p">AltaVista</a> search engine</li><li>1996 (1996): <a href="/facts/Outlook.com/I4sund79">Outlook (formerly Hotmail)</a> free web-based e-mail</li><li>1996 (1996): <a href="/facts/Baidu/VgAx7Pfu">RankDex</a> search engine</li><li>1997 (1997): <a href="/facts/Google_Search/LFnCogKt">Google Search</a></li><li>1997 (1997): <a href="/facts/Babel_Fish_(website)/g8d8G0nN">Babel Fish</a> automatic translation</li><li>1998 (1998): <a href="/facts/Yahoo_Groups/Xe4MwHFk">Yahoo Groups (formerly Yahoo! Clubs)</a></li><li>1998 (1998): <a href="/facts/PayPal/tlShukIa">PayPal</a> Internet payment system</li><li>1998 (1998): <a href="/facts/Rotten_Tomatoes/rLs7ktSY">Rotten Tomatoes</a> review aggregator</li><li>1999 (1999): <a href="/facts/2channel/9fKR8y13">2ch</a> Anonymous textboard</li><li>1999 (1999): <a href="/facts/I-mode/pLNzMYkP">i-mode</a> mobile internet service</li><li>1999 (1999): <a href="/facts/Napster/49fjWRT7">Napster</a> peer-to-peer file sharing</li><li>2000 (2000): <a href="/facts/Baidu/VgAx7Pfu">Baidu</a> search engine</li><li>2001 (2001): <a href="/facts/Futaba_Channel/szefe1jK">2chan</a> Anonymous imageboard</li><li>2001 (2001): <a href="/facts/BitTorrent/HP9ChWWW">BitTorrent</a> peer-to-peer file sharing</li><li>2001 (2001): <a href="/facts/Wikipedia/KDRNKWnc">Wikipedia</a>, the free encyclopedia</li><li>2003 (2003): <a href="/facts/LinkedIn/Iq2IcNMt">LinkedIn</a> business networking</li><li>2003 (2003): <a href="/facts/Myspace/dES860Ro">Myspace</a> social networking site</li><li>2003 (2003): <a href="/facts/Skype/qdKbuh23">Skype</a> Internet voice calls</li><li>2003 (2003): <a href="/facts/ITunes_Store/c3XFlT3q">iTunes Store</a></li><li>2003 (2003): <a href="/facts/4chan/eSLuYvUN">4chan</a> Anonymous imageboard</li><li>2003 (2003): <a href="/facts/The_Pirate_Bay/V8jQU7eP">The Pirate Bay</a>, <a href="/facts/Torrent_file/j0SwIJrW">torrent file</a> host</li><li>2004 (2004): <a href="/facts/Facebook/0IhXFR6u">Facebook</a> social networking site</li><li>2004 (2004): <a href="/facts/Podcast/arkeh0YV">Podcast</a> media file series</li><li>2004 (2004): <a href="/facts/Flickr/BvB6ubLr">Flickr</a> image hosting</li><li>2005 (2005): <a href="/facts/YouTube/db276jst">YouTube</a> video sharing</li><li>2005 (2005): <a href="/facts/Reddit/PAJjm63I">Reddit</a> link voting</li><li>2005 (2005): <a href="/facts/Google_Earth/jjJmIjmb">Google Earth</a> virtual globe</li><li>2006 (2006): <a href="/facts/Twitter/VWwDNGUm">Twitter</a> microblogging</li><li>2007 (2007): <a href="/facts/WikiLeaks/rm4lC2cD">WikiLeaks</a> anonymous news and information leaks</li><li>2007 (2007): <a href="/facts/Google_Street_View/Ruqzal5A">Google Street View</a></li><li>2007 (2007): <a href="/facts/Amazon_Kindle/cmCbmvEs">Kindle</a>, <a href="/facts/E-reader/D7a76tKm">e-reader</a> and virtual bookshop</li><li>2008 (2008): <a href="/facts/Amazon_Elastic_Compute_Cloud/2EMwnvlS">Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud</a> (EC2)</li><li>2008 (2008): <a href="/facts/Dropbox/7D2Rhh32">Dropbox</a> cloud-based file hosting</li><li>2008 (2008): <a href="/facts/Encyclopedia_of_Life/E5Fz0Wrd">Encyclopedia of Life</a>, a collaborative encyclopedia intended to document all living species</li><li>2008 (2008): <a href="/facts/Spotify/wsTSvDD8">Spotify</a>, a <a href="/facts/Digital_rights_management/4AF8JmDt">DRM-based</a> music streaming service</li><li>2009 (2009): <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Bing/r2pIK5HT">Bing</a> search engine</li><li>2009 (2009): <a href="/facts/Google_Docs/y2RYkhAQ">Google Docs</a>, Web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, form, and data storage service</li><li>2009 (2009): <a href="/facts/Kickstarter/J1R5A3f6">Kickstarter</a>, a <a href="/facts/Threshold_pledge_system/n2CoQ8ET">threshold pledge system</a></li><li>2009 (2009): <a href="/facts/Bitcoin/UJvqfray">Bitcoin</a>, a <a href="/facts/Digital_currency/ycholMaA">digital currency</a></li><li>2010 (2010): <a href="/facts/Instagram/33s91jnV">Instagram</a>, <a href="/facts/Photo_sharing/pyJS36yM">photo sharing</a> and <a href="/facts/Social_networking/qFIh6VT1">social networking</a></li><li>2011 (2011): <a href="/facts/Google%2B/YpruHrEK">Google+</a>, <a href="/facts/Social_networking/qFIh6VT1">social networking</a></li><li>2011 (2011): <a href="/facts/Snapchat/oIQ9tBh8">Snapchat</a>, <a href="/facts/Photo_sharing/pyJS36yM">photo sharing</a></li><li>2012 (2012): <a href="/facts/Coursera/5Kp5AIuX">Coursera</a>, massive open online courses</li><li>2016 (2016): <a href="/facts/TikTok/LC3FaCbX">TikTok</a>, <a href="/facts/Video_sharing/tNBgCRKy">video sharing</a> and <a href="/facts/Social_networking/qFIh6VT1">social networking</a></li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table>
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard <a href="/facts/Communication_protocol/5uady7cB">communication protocol</a> used for the transfer of <a href="/facts/Computer_file/FjFH3Ufm">computer files</a> from a server to a client on a <a href="/facts/Computer_network/3w5RM99p">computer network</a>. FTP is built on a client–server model architecture using separate control and data connections between the client and the server. FTP users may authenticate themselves with a <a href="/facts/Plaintext/tWnBDCgE">plain-text</a> sign-in protocol, normally in the form of a username and password, but can connect anonymously if the server is configured to allow it. For secure transmission that protects the username and password, and encrypts the content, FTP is often secured with <a href="/facts/Transport_Layer_Security/pGy16TnA">SSL/TLS</a> (<a href="/facts/FTPS/6DMVBUCX">FTPS</a>) or replaced with <a href="/facts/SSH_File_Transfer_Protocol/88YptbER">SSH File Transfer Protocol</a> (SFTP).
The first FTP client applications were <a href="/facts/Command-line_interface/R9JpGmXQ">command-line programs</a> developed before <a href="/facts/Operating_system/8XTuvMh2">operating systems</a> had <a href="/facts/Graphical_user_interface/wBlQFWDP">graphical user interfaces</a>, and are still shipped with most <a href="/facts/Windows/bwhAhuSL">Windows</a>, <a href="/facts/Unix/0pNL2seI">Unix</a>, and <a href="/facts/Linux/9FvCKSTq">Linux</a> operating systems.[3] Many dedicated FTP <a href="/facts/Client_(computing)/u0wlVsWI">clients</a> and automation utilities have since been developed for <a href="/facts/Desktop_computer/edFPINdK">desktops</a>, servers, mobile devices, and hardware, and FTP has been incorporated into productivity applications such as <a href="/facts/HTML_editor/Tf82QUku">HTML editors</a> and <a href="/facts/File_managers/t7CSQ40a">file managers</a>.
An FTP client used to be commonly integrated in <a href="/facts/Web_browser/2pfyymLs">web browsers</a>, where file servers are browsed with the <a href="/facts/Uniform_Resource_Identifier/UjyqxTpA">URI</a> prefix "ftp://". In 2021, FTP support was dropped by <a href="/facts/Google_Chrome/4INfWq37">Google Chrome</a> and <a href="/facts/Firefox/xez2zv8H">Firefox</a>, two major web browser vendors, due to it being superseded by the more secure SFTP and FTPS; although neither of them have implemented the newer protocols.

File Transfer Protocol open-in-new

File Transfer Protocol