When building your first website, chances are that you might come across words like FTP, cPanel, and wonder what it means and why your developer keeps asking for your FTP details to login to upload your website.

Here's a straightforward overview of what FTP is, minus the jargon.

By the end, you'll feel comfortable explaining FTP, how it works, or even using it yourself, making those casual mentions far less daunting.

What FTP actually does

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. A simple way of saying: moving files from your computer to your web hosting (or the other way around).
Think of it like this: Your web hosting package is a storage unit. cPanel is the front desk, you can go in and grab a few things.
FTP is the loading dock or your logistics team, where you can back up a truck and move hundreds of boxes at once.

When should you use FTP instead of uploading manually on cPanel

• Uploading your entire website with hundreds of files, it is much simpler to zip the files and use FTP.
• Deleting a file from the server works reliably, even when cPanel times out.
• Downloading a backup lets you grab everything at once.

What you need to get started

Your FTP server address – Usually ftp.yourdomain.co.za or just your domain
Your FTP username – Same as your cPanel username (usually)
Your FTP password – Same as your cPanel password
An FTP client – A free program on your computer **Windows/Mac**

The best FTP client apps to use (all free)

FileZilla is the most popular, works everywhere
Website Link: www.filezilla-project.org
WinSCP Windows users who like drag-and-drop
Website Link: www.winscp.net
Cyberduck Mac users who like simple
Website Link: www.cyberduck.io
ForkLift Power Mac users (paid but good)
Website Link: www.binarynights.co

I'll use FileZilla for this guide, it's what most people commonly use.

How to Connect Using FileZilla

1. FileZilla is the go-to choice:
2. Open FileZilla: Launch it on your computer.
3. Enter Details: Use the Quickconnect bar:
4. Host: ftp.yourdomain.co.za (or your domain)
5. Username: cPanel username
6. Password: cPanel password
7. Port: 22 for secure SFTP.
8. Click Quickconnect: Local files appear left; server files (web hosting) right.

For more visuals and a detailed step-by-step, please see our help center on how to upload files using FileZilla.
Need a dedicated FTP account for your domain or developer?
Check out how to create an FTP account in cPanel.

Security Warning: Use SFTP if possible
Regular FTP sends your password in plain text. On a coffee shop Wi-Fi, someone could intercept it.

Use SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) instead. It's encrypted.

The only difference: change the port from 21 to 22. FileZilla and most clients support it.

To read up on Filezilla and FTP accounts, you can read up more via our help center post.

Funny how FTP feels complex at first, yet it works like moving files between folders and servers. After your initial login, you might find yourself skipping cPanel entirely when dealing with big transfers.
Secret tip: Your cPanel username and password work directly in FTP clients like FileZilla, no extra setup needed.
Let us know if you would like to contribute to this topic or have any questions in the comments section or on our social media pages.