If you are hosting your own site and/or need to upload files to an FTP server then FileZilla is a great software that you need to check out. I need to use an FTP client at least a couple of times a day since I am checking out new plugins or themes whenever possible. I used to use Ipswitch’s WS_FTP, but it had become so bloated that it would keep timing out and complete transfer of files would never take place on it at one go. Updating my blog was becoming a tedious chore with WS_FTP and so I began to look out for an alternative to it and preferably a lightweight and easy to use FTP client that would not be too technologically taxing. I tried Total Commander for a while which though an excellent piece of software was much more than I asked for or needed and it ended up doing way too much for me at least. A friend suggested I give FileZilla a try and I have never looked back after doing so. FileZilla is open source and freeware and though it does not have the polish or functionality of paid for FTP clients, it is "a simple FTP client, with a very simple user interface, which supports all the basic functions needed to browse a server and to transfer files, while being fast and reliable" as stated by the author!
Download and installation are predictably pedestrian easy. Once downloaded and setup, you can connect to an FTP server through the Quickconnect bar at the top keying in the login and password (if required) and FileZilla will display the contents of the remote server and the contents on your PC in a two-pane Windows Explorer type interface. Transfer of files between both is like typical Windows Explorer where you can select and drag and drop files to the desired folder or location. With FileZilla you can also create folders, delete folders, change permissions, change the location of folders, or rename folders just like in Windows Explorer.
The interface/GUI of FileZilla is minimalistic, but very easy to grasp and get a hold of even for first time users and beginners alike. At the very top is a menu system just like in Windows Explorer where you can access various functions of FileZilla including setting up an account in the site manager and even change the look and feel of FileZilla. Right below the menu is a toolbar with icons for the more common functions in the menu. Below the toolbar is the Quickconnect bar where you can type in the address of the remote server along with the login and password (if required) and connect and access a remote FTP server. After the Quickconnect bar is the log area where you will see the exchanges taking place between the remote server and your own system along with all the commands being processed. After the log menu is the Windows Explore tree menu for the local PC and its contents and the remote server contents. Right below this is the transfer log wherein FileZilla logs all the transfers taking place between the remote FTP server and your local system and this transfer log will display each file as it is being copied or moved, the rate at which the transfer is taking place and also how much of the total transfer has taken place at any given point in time.
FileZilla also has a Site Manager from which you can manage a list of servers in case you need to access more than one server on a regular basis. Site Manager will remember the login and password information for you. In all my usage of FileZilla for the past 3 years I have never noticed an error or bug in the system even though the author prompts you to share about bugs as soon you install or upgrade FileZilla on your system. FileZilla just works perfect, it is fast, efficient and totally bug free for all the multitude of transfers I have done including this website which is updated on a very regular basis.
FileZilla auto updates with your permission of course so it stays updated to the latest version at all times and the current latest version is 3.1.0.1 which carries on the good work. It is fast and very efficient and I have noted no problems whatsoever with its usage. If you are looking for a lean, mean and high performance FTP client then look no further than FileZilla for all your blogging needs. It is simply the best FTP client that I have personally come across and I have tried most of them.
filezilla really rocks we can maintain all out different sites n different hosting sites domains at one place
Hi Narendra, thanks for stopping by again. I was just reading about your Logo Design for Affiliate Launch. The logo design has come out well. I am impressed since I am not much of a designer myself. Totally agree with you concerning FileZilla. It is simply the best FTP client I have come across.
Will give it a shot. Since I lost my cute FTP long long back, I have been depending on the web interface of my hosting provider.
Cheers,
Ajith
Ajith FileZilla is simply the best. Once you start using it, there will be no looking back. Take my word.
Rajeev,
Need some help with my latest experiment… You are my technorati fave and viceversa still.
Cheers,
Ajith
Ajith,
Faved you on Technorati. This is a good idea and I wish you all the success with it. Take care.
Filezilla has a very big known bug that they don't want to solve, and it is that it saves all the passwords in plain text, so with a simple trojan a hacker can get all your web passwords and use them.
I recommend using another ftp client if you are making a serious web page or else very probably you can end with a hacker playing with your system.
Thanks for the update, any links or articles to the same would be appreciated. I've personally though stopped using FileZilla since I've moved to Windows 7, 64-bit and am instead using Null FTP as its the only 64-bit FTP Client.
easy: http://trac.filezilla-project.org/ticket/3144
For example, there are some more in the intertet if you search through google. It seems that the only way to prevent this is to encrypt the folder where the file is saved, but it's also not very secure for don'-know-what-informatic-thing
Thanks for the update. Will check it out and keep others updated too. Much appreciated.