File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, dates back to the early 1970s, predating HTTP by almost 20 years. Nevertheless, it's still commonly used by many organizations to exchange large files over the internet. FTP is considered somewhat obsolete in many circles due in part to the fact that it transmits data and credentials in clear text, though SSL-encrypted variants of FTP are also available.
Like HTTP, FTP clients send requests containing plain text commands similar to HTTP methods, and the FTP server returns a response packet containing header and payload information.
There are, however, many significant differences between the two protocols:
- FTP is a stateful connection, meaning the client and server maintain a constant ...
