File Transfer Protocol

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File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used to transfer files
from one host to another over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built
on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections
between the client and server.[1] FTP users may authenticate themselves using a cleartext sign-in protocol but can connect anonymously if the server is configured to allow
it.
The first FTP client applications were interactive command-line tools, implementing
standard commands and syntax. Graphical user interface clients have since been
developed for many of the popular desktop operating systems in use today.[2][3

History
The original specification for the File Transfer Protocol was written by Abhay
Bhushan and published as RFC 114 on 16 April 1971, before TCP and IP even
existed.[2] It was and later replaced by RFC 765 (June 1980) and RFC 959 (October
1985), the current specification.[2] Several proposed standards amend RFC 959, for
example RFC 2228 (June 1997) proposes security extensions and RFC 2428
(September 1998) adds support for IPv6 and defines a new type of passive mode.[4]

[edit] Protocol overview

The protocol is specified in RFC 959,[2] which is summarized below.[5]
FTP operates on the application layer of the OSI model, and is used to transfer files
using TCP/IP.[3] In order to do this a FTP server needs to be running and waiting for
incoming requests.[3] The client computer is then able to communicate with the server
on port 21.[3][6] This connection, called the control connection,[7] remains open for the
duration of the session, with a second connection, called the data connection,[2][7]
either opened by the server from its port 20 to a negotiated client port (active mode)
or opened by the client from an arbitrary port to a negotiated server port (passive
mode) as required to transfer file data.[2][6] The control connection is used for session
administration (i.e., commands, identification, passwords)[8] exchanged between the
client and server using a telnet-like protocol. For example "RETR filename" would
transfer the specified file from the server to the client. Due to this two-port structure,
FTP is considered an out-of-band, as opposed to an in-band protocol such as HTTP.[8]
The server responds on the control connection with three digit status codes in ASCII
with an optional text message, for example "200" (or "200 OK.") means that the last
command was successful. The numbers represent the code number and the optional
text represent explanations (e.g., <OK>) or needed parameters (e.g., <Need account

for storing file>).[1] A file transfer in progress over the data connection can be aborted
using an interrupt message sent over the control connection.
FTP can be run in active or passive mode, which determine how the data connection
is established.[7] In active mode, the client sends the server the IP address and port
number on which the client will listen, and the server initiates the TCP connection.[6]
In situations where the client is behind a firewall and unable to accept incoming TCP
connections, passive mode may be used. In this mode the client sends a PASV
command to the server and receives an IP address and port number in return.[6][7] The
client uses these to open the data connection to the server.[5] Both modes were updated
in September 1998 to add support for IPv6. Other changes were made to passive
mode at that time, making it extended passive mode.[9]
While transferring data over the network, four data representations can be used:[2][3][4]

ASCII mode: used for text. Data is converted, if needed, from the sending
host's character representation to "8-bit ASCII" before transmission, and
(again, if necessary) to the receiving host's character representation. As a
consequence, this mode is inappropriate for files that contain data other than
plain text.
Image mode (commonly called Binary mode): the sending machine sends each
file byte for byte, and the recipient stores the bytestream as it receives it.
(Image mode support has been recommended for all implementations of FTP).
EBCDIC mode: use for plain text between hosts using the EBCDIC character
set. This mode is otherwise like ASCII mode.
Local mode: Allows two computers with identical setups to send data in a
proprietary format without the need to convert it to ASCII

For text files, different format control and record structure options are provided.
These features were designed to facilitate files containing Telnet or ASA formatting.
Data transfer can be done in any of three modes:[1][2]

Stream mode: Data is sent as a continuous stream, relieving FTP from doing
any processing. Rather, all processing is left up to TCP. No End-of-file
indicator is needed, unless the data is divided into records.
Block mode: FTP breaks the data into several blocks (block header, byte
count, and data field) and then passes it on to TCP.[4]
Compressed mode: Data is compressed using a single algorithm (usually runlength encoding).

[edit] Login
FTP login utilizes a normal username/password scheme for granting access.[2] The
username is sent to the server using the USER command, and the password is sent
using the PASS command.[2] If the information provided by the client is accepted by
the server, the server will send a greeting to the client and the session will be open.[2]
If the server supports it, users may log in without providing login credentials. The
server will also limit access for that session based on what the user is authorized.[2]

[edit] FTP vs. TFTP

FTP and Trivial FTP are very similar protocols. FTP is the more complex version of
the two.[2] It provides more features and is session-oriented.[2] FTP is also more
commonly used and is typically simpler to use.[2] TFTP is essentially a "stripped
down" version, with fewer commands and capabilities. It is designed to be used for
cases where simplicity and small file-size is important.[2] Another significant
difference between the two is that FTP relies on TCP, whereas TFTP instead uses
UDP, rendering it connectionless and therefore less reliable.[3]

[edit] Security
FTP was not designed to be a secure protocolespecially by today's standardsand
has many security weaknesses.[10] In May 1999, the authors of RFC 2577 enumerated
the following flaws:[11]

Bounce attacks
Spoof attacks
Brute force attacks
Packet capture (sniffing)
Username protection
Port stealing

FTP was not designed to encrypt its traffic; all transmissions are in clear text, and user
names, passwords, commands and data can be easily read by anyone able to perform
packet capture (sniffing) on the network.[2][10] This problem is common to many
Internet Protocol specifications (such as SMTP, Telnet, POP and IMAP) designed
prior to the creation of encryption mechanisms such as TLS or SSL.[4] A common
solution to this problem is use of the "secure", TLS-protected versions of the insecure
protocols (e.g. FTPS for FTP, TelnetS for Telnet, etc.) or selection of a different, more
secure protocol that can handle the job, such as the SFTP/SCP tools included with
most implementations of the Secure Shell protocol.

[edit] Anonymous FTP

A host that provides an FTP service may additionally provide anonymous FTP access.
[2]
Users typically log into the service with an 'anonymous' account when prompted for
user name. Although users are commonly asked to send their email address in lieu of a
password,[3] no verification is actually performed on the supplied data;.[12] Many FTP
hosts whose purpose is to provide software updates will provide anonymous logins.[3]
Examples of anonymous FTP servers can be found here.

[edit] Remote FTP or FTPmail

Where FTP access is restricted, a remote FTP (or FTPmail) service can be used to
circumvent the problem. An e-mail containing the FTP commands to be performed is
sent to a remote FTP server, which is a mail server that parses the incoming e-mail,
executes the FTP commands, and sends back an e-mail with any downloaded files as
an attachment. This is less flexible than an FTP client, as it is not possible to view

directories interactively or to modify commands, and there can also be problems with
large file attachments in the response not getting through mail servers. The service
was used when some users' only internet access was via email through gateways such
as a BBS or online service. As most internet users these days have ready access to
FTP, this procedure is no longer in everyday use.

[edit] Web browser support

Most common web browsers can retrieve files hosted on FTP servers, although they
may not support protocol extensions such as FTPS.[3][13] When an FTPrather than
HTTPURL is supplied, the accessible contents of the remote server is presented in
a manner similar to that used for other Web content. A full-featured FTP client can be
run within Firefox in the form of an extension called FireFTP [1]
FTP URL syntax is described in RFC1738,[14] taking the form:
ftp://[<user>[:<password>]@]<host>[:<port>]/<url-path>[14]

(The bracketed parts are optional.) For example:

ftp://public.ftp-servers.example.com/mydirectory/myfile.txt

or:
ftp://user001:secretpassword@private.ftpservers.example.com/mydirectory/myfile.txt

More details on specifying a user name and password may be found in the browsers'
documentation, such as, for example, Firefox [15] and Internet Explorer[16].
By default, most web browsers use passive (PASV) mode, which more easily
traverses end-user firewalls.

[edit] NAT and firewall traversal

FTP normally transfers data by having the server connect back to the client, after the
PORT command is sent by the client. This is problematic for both NATs and firewalls,
which do not allow connections from the Internet towards internal hosts.[17] For NATs,
an additional complication is the representation of the IP addresses and port number in
the PORT command refer to the internal host's IP address and port, rather than the
public IP address and port of the NAT.
There are two approaches to this problem. One is that the FTP client and FTP server
use the PASV command, which causes the data connection to be established from the
FTP client to the server.[17] This is widely used by modern FTP clients. Another
approach is for the NAT to alter the values of the PORT command, using an
application-level gateway for this purpose.[17]

[edit] Secure FTP

There are several methods of securely transferring files that have been called "Secure
FTP" at one point or another.

[edit] FTPS (explicit)

Explicit FTPS is an extension to the FTP standard that allows clients to request that
the FTP session be encrypted. This is done by sending the "AUTH TLS" command.
The server has the option of allowing or denying connections that do not request TLS.
This protocol extension is defined in the proposed standard: RFC 4217.

[edit] FTPS (implicit)

Implicit FTPS is deprecated standard for FTP that required the use of a SSL or TLS
connection. It was specified to use different ports than plain FTP.

[edit] SFTP
SFTP, the "SSH File Transfer Protocol," is not related to FTP except that it also
transfers files and has a similar command set for users.
SFTP, or secure FTP, is a program that uses SSH to transfer files. Unlike standard
FTP, it encrypts both commands and data, preventing passwords and sensitive
information from being transmitted in the clear over the network. It is functionally
similar to FTP, but because it uses a different protocol, you can't use a standard FTP
client to talk to an SFTP server, nor can you connect to an FTP server with a client
that supports only SFTP.

[edit] FTP over SSH (not SFTP)

FTP over SSH (not SFTP) refers to the practice of tunneling a normal FTP session
over an SSH connection.[10]
Because FTP uses multiple TCP connections (unusual for a TCP/IP protocol that is
still in use), it is particularly difficult to tunnel over SSH. With many SSH clients,
attempting to set up a tunnel for the control channel (the initial client-to-server
connection on port 21) will protect only that channel; when data is transferred, the
FTP software at either end will set up new TCP connections (data channels), which
bypass the SSH connection, and thus have no confidentiality, integrity protection, etc.
Otherwise, it is necessary for the SSH client software to have specific knowledge of
the FTP protocol, and monitor and rewrite FTP control channel messages and
autonomously open new packet forwardings for FTP data channels. Version 3 of SSH
Communications Security's software suite, the GPL licensed FONC, and Co:Z
FTPSSH Proxy are three software packages that support this mode.
FTP over SSH is sometimes referred to as secure FTP; this should not be confused
with other methods of securing FTP, such as with SSL/TLS (FTPS). Other methods of

transferring files using SSH that are not related to FTP include SFTP and SCP; in
each of these, the entire conversation (credentials and data) is always protected by the
SSH protocol.

[edit] List of FTP commands

Below is a list of FTP commands that may be sent to an FTP server, including all
commands that are standardized in RFC 959 by the IETF. All commands below are
RFC 959 based unless stated otherwise. Note that most command-line FTP clients
present their own set of commands to users. For example, GET is the common user
command to download a file instead of the raw command RETR.
Command
ABOR
ACCT
ADAT

RFC

RFC
2228

ALLO
APPE
AUTH
CCC

RFC
2228
RFC
2228

EPRT
EPSV
FEAT
LANG

LPSV
MDTM
MIC

Clear Command Channel

Confidentiality Protection Command

Change working directory.
Delete file.

RFC
2228
RFC
2428
RFC
2428
RFC
2389
RFC
2640

LIST
LPRT

Authentication/Security Mechanism

Change to Parent Directory.

RFC
2228

CWD
DELE
ENC

Authentication/Security Data
Allocate sufficient disk space to receive a file.
Append.

CDUP
CONF

Description
Abort an active file transfer.
Account information.

RFC
1639
RFC
1639
RFC
3659
RFC

Privacy Protected Channel

Specifies an extended address and port to which the server
should connect.
Enter extended passive mode.
Get the feature list implemented by the server.
Language Negotiation
Returns information of a file or directory if specified, else
information of the current working directory is returned.
Specifies a long address and port to which the server should
connect.
Enter long passive mode.
Return the last-modified time of a specified file.
Integrity Protected Command

2228
MKD
MLSD
MLST

Make directory.
RFC
3659
RFC
3659

MODE
NLST
NOOP
OPTS

RFC
2389

PASS
PASV
PBSZ

RFC
2228

RFC
2228

Protection Buffer Size

Data Channel Protection Level.

Print working directory. Returns the current directory of the
host.
Disconnect.
Re initializes the connection.
Restart transfer from the specified point.
Transfer a copy of the file
Remove a directory.
Rename from.
Rename to.
Sends site specific commands to remote server.

QUIT
REIN
REST
RETR
RMD
RNFR
RNTO
SITE

SMNT
STAT
STOR
STOU
STRU
SYST
TYPE
USER

Select options for a feature.

Specifies an address and port to which the server should

connect.

PWD

SIZE

Provides data about exactly the object named on its command

line, and no others.
Sets the transfer mode (Stream, Block, or Compressed).
Returns a list of file names in a specified directory.
No operation (dummy packet; used mostly on keepalives).

Authentication password.
Enter passive mode.

PORT
PROT

Lists the contents of a directory if a directory is named.

RFC
3659

Return the size of a file.

Mount file structure.
Returns the current status.
Accept the data and to store the data as a file at the server site
Store file uniquely.
Set file transfer structure.
Return system type.
Sets the transfer mode (ASCII/Binary).
Authentication username.

[edit] FTP reply codes

Main article: List of FTP server return codes
Below is a summary of the reply codes that may be returned by an FTP server. These
codes have been standardized in RFC 959 by the IETF. The reply code is a three-digit
value.

The first digit of the reply code is used to indicate one of three possible outcomes, 1)
success, 2) failure, and 3) error or incomplete:

2xx - Success reply

4xx or 5xx - Failure Reply
1xx or 3xx - Error or Incomplete reply

The second digit defines the kind of error:

x0z - Syntax - These replies refer to syntax errors.

x1z - Information - Replies to requests for information.
x2z - Connections - Replies referring to the control and data connections.
x3z - Authentication and accounting - Replies for the login process and
accounting procedures.
x4z - Not defined.
x5z - File system - These replies relay status codes from the server file system.

The third digit of the reply code is used to provide additional detail for each of the
categories defined by the second digit.