FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. The technology allows anyone with an Internet connection to securely connect to an FTP server through a web browser or a specialized FTP client software. A valid log-in credential is required for example: FTP server address, port number, username and password.
What’s The Best FTP Backup Software?
There are certain parameters by which we can define the best FTP Backup software. A good FTP Backup software should be able to secure your data from unauthorized access. This is made possible with the help of file encryption technology that protects user’s information from packet sniffers, snooping attacks and hacking attempts.
When it comes to FTP, it is important that your downloads can be resumed at any time should you encounter Internet disconnectivity, temporary technical glitch.
FileZilla is one of the most popular open-source, freeware FTP backup solutions. It is a cross-platform client that supports multiple operating systems including Windows, Mac OS, Linux and BSD.
FileZilla uses an easy-to-use tabbed interface with drag & drop functionality which saves you from a few clicks. FileZilla offers backing-up multiple files at once and you can even change the process priority to download some files at a faster speed, while others at a lower speed. If your download is too large in size, simply set FileZilla to automatically shut down your computer after completion.
When you connect to an online server, it displays basic information about each file stored on your server, such as filename, size, last modification date, owner/ group, and type. You can resume interrupted downloads, secure your data with the powerful encryption algorithms.
If you’re planning to format and reinstall Windows, you don’t have to worry about losing your server configurations. This is because FileZilla allows you to export your site manager entries, settings and filters to a separate file which you can later import anytime.
How To Backup Your Files With FileZilla?
- Visit the FileZilla official download page.
- Click on the Download FileZilla Client button, and grab an appropriate 32-bit/ 64-bit depending on your system version.
- Double-click the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Once the software is installed, click on the File menu, and select Site Manager.
- In the new dialog that appears, select the FTP – File Transfer Protocol option in the drop-down box.
- Specify the location of your server and your port address in the Host and Port text boxes respectively.
- Set the Logon Type to Normal.
- Enter your user name and password (typically, your cPanel credentials).
- Click on the Connect button and FileZilla will attempt to connect to the corresponding server.
- A warning dialog should appear if your connection is not encrypted, for any reason. It is safe to ignore that.
- The main interface of FileZilla is mainly divided into two- On the left hand side, you can see the contents of your hard disk. On the right hand side, you would be able to access the files stored on your server.
- Simply drag and drop the files/ folders from the left to the right panel to upload them on the server. To download files from the server to your computer, drag them up from the right to the left.
- You can navigate subfolders by simply double-clicking them.
- To delete or rename copies of any files from the server, right-click it and select the Delete or Rename option respectively.
- You can download multiple files by adding them to the download queue. Simply right-click a file, choose the Download option. For subsequent files, use the Add files to queue.
- You can also make FileZilla automatically shutdown the computer after downloading your backups. To do so, click on the Queued Files tab. Right-click on an empty area, and select the Action after queue completion > Shutdown system. Make sure other third-party program(s) are already closed.
Import/ Export Server Configurations
You can save your server configurations and import them at a later time through the steps given below:
- Click on the File menu, and select the Export option to save your server configurations to a new file.
- Click on the File menu, and choose Import to import your existing settings.
