FTP

File Transfer Protocol: Transferring files from your computer to the server, and back again.

• What is my ftp login info?
  
  Your ftp username and password are initially the same as your cPanel username and password.
  
  In your FTP client, log in to your using using the following:
  Host (or server): ftp.yourdomain.com
  User: Your ftp username
  Password: Your ftp password
  
  When you log in as above, you are connected to your home directory on the server. Inside that directory is a directory named "public_html" You should place your Web site files into the public_html directory.
  
  If your FTP program has a space for an "initial directory" or "host directory," you can enter public_html in that field, and then your FTP program will automatically connect you to your "public" Web space, where you should upload your files.
  
  You can change your FTP username and password, or add additional FTP accounts, in your cPanel's "Site Management Tools" section. Just choose the "FTP Manager" link in cPanel.
  
  If you should forget your ftp password, just log in to cPanel, go to the FTP section, select your FTP account, and click the "Password" icon. This will allow you to enter a new FTP password.
• How do I transfer files using FTP?
  
  First, log in to your site using your FTP program.
  
  In most FTP programs, you will see a list of files on the server (remote files) in a pane at the right, and files on your computer (local files) in a pane on the left. To upload a file, simply drag it from the left-side pane (your local files) to the the right-side pane (the server files). To download a file from the server to your computer, drag it from the right pane to the left pane. In most FTP program you can double-click on a directory to navigate into the directory to access files within it.
  
  On the server, the "public_html" directory is the directory where your Web site files are served from. You should make sure that you put all your Web files and images into the public_html directory on the server, or into one or more directories contained within that directory.
  
  If you want to store files on the server that you do not want accessible to the public on your site, you can put them directly in your home folder -- the directory that contains the public_html directory. Any files that are not inside the public_html directory will be not available via the Web and you cannot access them using your browser.
  
  For security purposes, it's a good idea to store certain files in your home directory above the public_html directory. If you use database connection scripts that contain your database username and password, or .htpasswd files that contain usernames and passwords, or other files that should not, ever, be accessible to the public over the Web, you can store them in your home directory above the public_html directory.
  
  You can upload files to your home directory, and you can create directories within it to store files, but you should not delete, move or rename any files in your home directory that already existed there when you first logged in. These files contain important configuration settings for your hosting account, and you may render your account inoperable if you touch any of these pre-existing files. If, like me, you're insanely curious about these files and what they do, you can download them to your computer and open them in a text editor to see their contents. But please do not edit or move the files on the server itself.
• Are there any special considerations if I use a firewall or router?
  
  You may need to enable "passive mode" in your FTP program if you are behind a firewall or router. Look in your FTP program's settings or preferences for "passive FTP" or "PASV."