What is an FTP Server

Your web site is made up of a series of files; pictures, video, text and formatting information. In order to get these 'on the Internet' we have to transfer them from our computers to a computer that is permanently connected to the Internet.  That computer is called a server.  

To do this we have to connect the two computers together.  Because the server is permanently connected to the Internet it has an address.  Generally that address is ftp.yourdomainname.co.uk but that's not always the case.  We need this address.  Once we try to connect to this computer it will ask us for a username and a password.  Your hosting provider will have that username and password and will pass them on to you if you don't have a copy.  If we have those three bits of information we can connect to a computer anywhere in the world!

Once we have a connection we can transfer the various files to and from the server.  To do this we use "file transfer protocol" or FTP.