What does FTP stand for and what is FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It's a communication protocol that allows you to contact other computers and upload files to them or download files from them. The most common use for FTP is to move files to and from your web hosting server.
FTP programs
The protocol itself is invisible to you. It stands behind FTP programs, which offer you a visual interface to the file exchange process. The FTP program that sits on your personal computer is called the FTP client. It communicates with the FTP program on your target computer, which is the FTP server.
Working with FTP
In order to function, the FTP program needs to know which computer to contact. You can provide this information either as a regular Internet address (e.g. www.your-site.com) or as an <IP address>, which your hosting provider will give you.
Once the program knows which computer it's talking to, it needs to know who you are, as a basic security measure (unless you're using <anonymous FTP>). You identify yourself through a username and password, again supplied by your hosting provider. The username-password couple, and the permissions associated with them as to how you can move files around, are called an FTP account.
In most FTP programs, your screen will be split in two: one side representing your local computer (the client), and the other representing the remote computer you're connected to (the server). Moving files between them is usually as simple as dragging the filenames them from one side of the screen to the other.