FTP vs HTTP

What is HTTP? HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. HTTP is the underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. For example, when you enter a URL or website address in your browser, this actually sends an HTTP command to the Web server directing it to fetch and transmit the requested Web page. The URL acts as the HTTP command. Take a look at your address bar and you will see that HTTP leads the website address. HTTP is a stateless protocol which simply means that any HTTP command is not affected by the previous HTTP commands. It has no way of knowing what commands were given.

What is the difference between FTP and HTTP? As Best FTP Web Hosting stated earlier FTP is a protocol used to upload files from a workstation to a FTP server or download files from a FTP server to a workstation. It is the way that files get transferred from one device to another in order for the files to be available on the Internet. When FTP appears in a URL it means that the user is connecting to a file server and not a Web server and that some form of file transfer is going to take place. Most FTP servers require the user to log on to the server in order to transfer files. FTP is really good for users who only want to download files.

As we discussed earlier HTTP is a protocol used to transfer files from a Web server onto a browser in order to view a Web page that is on the Internet. Unlike FTP, where entire files are transferred from one device to another and copied into memory, HTTP only transfers the contents of a web page into a browser for viewing. FTP is a two-way system as files are transferred back and forth between server and workstation. HTTP is a one-way system as files are transported only from the server onto the workstation's browser. When HTTP appears in a URL it means that the user is connecting to a Web server and not a file server. The files are transferred but not downloaded, therefore not copied into the memory of the receiving device.

So what is better? FTP or HTTP… FTP is a good for certain applications but HTTP is going to better in most situations. FTP is a good foundation to work from but HTTP is going to be around for many more years. HTTP is slightly newer that FTP. There really is no winner in the FTP vs HTTP comparison since they both do different tasks.