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Home » Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) » FTP

FTP

What is FTP? #

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the process used to upload and download files from a web server. This is done using an FTP program.

Do you recommend any FTP programs? #

Here are a few FTP programs that we recommend:

Windows
Mac
- Transmit
- Cyberduck
- Captain FTP
- BulletProof FTP
- CuteFTP
- Fetch
- Coda
- FileZilla

What information needs to be entered into a FTP or web design program in order to upload files to the server? #

server/hostname: your-domain.com
username: your-username
password: your-password
remote directory: httpdocs
port: 21

To help you with this, we have created some screen shot examples of FTP configurations for a few popular FTP programs and web design applications with a built-in FTP feature.

The website is not loading in a browser after the files have been uploaded to the server, what might be causing this? #
1. Double check that you have uploaded your files to the httpdocs folder
2. Check that you have named your default page: index.html, index.htm or index.php

My FTP program is having some problems connecting to the server, how do you troubleshoot this? #
1. Make sure that you have entered all the proper FTP information for your website. This was provided in the account information email that we sent to you when your website became live on our server. If you no longer know your FTP password, you can reset it using your control panel. If you no longer know your control panel password, just enter a support ticket through our Help Desk and ask us to reset both your control panel and FTP passwords and re-send your account access info.
2. Do not add “ftp.” before your domain name. Your server/host name is just your domain name only, without any prefixes.
3. Double check that your FTP program is set to access port number 21.
4. Verify that you currently have a connection to the internet and that your ISP is not having any problems.
5. If you are behind a firewall, make sure that it is not configured to block access to port 21 on outbound connections. Also, you could try enabling “passive mode” on your FTP program since some firewalls require this when using FTP.
6. If you have a slow connection (ie dial-up), try increasing the time-out value setting in your FTP program. For instance if the default is 60:00, try changing it to 120:00. This is a common issue with Dreamweaver and this fix often solves the problem.
7. If you are running a BitTorrent program, you need to pause it or turn it off. BitTorrent programs require a massive amount of your internet connection’s uploading/downloading resources to run. Running a BitTorrent program while trying to FTP will cause extremely slow and almost non-existent upload/download times.

When the files are uploaded to the server they are corrupted, what might be causing this? #

Make sure that your FTP application is set to automatically detect ACSII or binary mode.

How do you change the password for FTP access? #

The password for FTP can be reset using your control panel.
1. Log in to your control panel.
2. Select the domain name.
3. Click on “Setup”.
4. Next to the “New FTP Password” box, enter the new password. Next to the “Confirm Password” box, enter the new password again, then select “OK”

Do you offer anonymous FTP? #

For security reasons, we do not support anonymous FTP.

Is it possible to upload files to a website using SFTP (Secure FTP) or SCP (Secure Copy)? #

We do not offer SFTP or SCP access to our servers because it would require granting shell access. For security reasons, we do not offer shell access under any circumstances. The improved security that comes from SFTP and SCP is far outweighed by the risks inherent to the enabling of shell access on a public server.

SFTP is available with ouur new cloud hosting service.