Files are uploaded to hosting using an FTP client (for example FileZilla or WinSCP). The abbreviation FTP, however, covers several different ways of connecting. Our hosting supports FTP, FTP with encryption (FTPES), and SFTP.
| FTP | port 21 | Unencrypted. Both your password and files travel over the network in plain text. Do not use it. |
| FTPES (FTP over TLS) | port 21, then switches to an encrypted connection | Encrypted. Just choose “Require explicit FTP over TLS” in your client. |
| SFTP | usually port 22 | Encrypted, a different protocol than FTP (runs over SSH). Simple, a single connection, and well suited to large numbers of files. |
Which one to choose
Use SFTP or, alternatively, FTPES. Both protect your login details and content. Use plain FTP only if your client supports nothing else.
Steps in FileZilla
- Choose File > Site Manager > New Site.
- In the Protocol field select SFTP, or FTP and in the Encryption field the value Require explicit FTP over TLS.
- Enter the server address, username, and password of your FTP account. You can learn how to create an account in the article How to create an FTP account.
- On your first connection, confirm that you trust the server certificate or fingerprint.
Common problems
- The connection times out: try switching between active and passive mode, or check that a firewall or router is not blocking the port.
- You cannot upload a file: see Broken file uploads.
- For convenient uploading without a client, there is also a web interface (WebFTP) in the admin panel.
The term FTP is explained in the glossary.