Tech question; cPanel/FTP

[Ian Jackson]

What's the difference between uploading through an FTP account (i.e. through my Hostgator cPanel, on the homepage), and the file manager?

What are the pros and cons of one compared with the other?
Thanks

[Alican Yenidogan]

There is actually no difference. One is a web application and one is a desktop application. They both can do the same thing.

[TristanPerry]

FTP can be quicker and easier since you can drag and drop one folder and it'll recursively upload all files and folders under it.

The cPanel File Manager is only file-by-file.

Thus if you wanted to upload (say) 100s or 1000s of files, you'd need to use FTP else it'd take forever.

But for a small website (or even a one-page website), the File Manager will do.

[Zeus66]

I use both and Tristan's right. FTP from a stand-alone application (I use Filezilla) is faster. If you just have the odd file to update or upload, File Manager thru cpanel is fine. For bigger jobs with multiple files, a desktop program is the way to go.

John

[sunny_popali]

I am not very sure abt Cpanel - but from your Desktop application that is FTP client you can change file permissions too as well, you have record & log of every file transfer made. Plus you can synchronize with the desktop files.

In short you have more control with desktop application than cpanel. Moreover file transfer is fast from FTP client.

[samstephens]

There are also usually file size limitations for web uploading - can be anything from about 8mb to about 20mb.

So larger files you'll definately need to use FTP.

Once you get the hang of using an FTP program, it's MUCH quicker, like the others have mentioned here.

cheers
Sam

[ahlexis]

Sam, I was about to say the same thing...file size limitations.

That's on a per-hosting-company basis. If you have Hostgator I think it's 25mb. At least for their reseller accounts, don't know it it's different size or not for the accounts that are not reseller. I noticed that when I got to the page where I could browse my local machine to select the files to upload, at the top it had a line that told me about the limitation and what it was. But you can always ask your hosting company if you're not sure

The cPanel File Manager is only file-by-file.

Thus if you wanted to upload (say) 100s or 1000s of files, you'd need to use FTP else it'd take forever.

Also, what he ^ said.

[dou9las]

If you like FireFox, you might like FireFTP. I love it.

[Ian Jackson]

Thanks all. Assuming I go for Filezilla - which seems quite popular - where would be the best place (URL) to go and learn about it? - at least just to get myself going with it

[Anup Mahajan]

My vote goes with FireFTp as well... It's an amazing enhancement for Firefox..

Cheers,

[mikeyman120]

I see your going with Filezilla. Great choice and its free. I just used it to upload 6 gigs of files to my hostgator account. That would never work through the file manager as mentioned - limitations. I use filezilla all the time. It was easy to figure out.

Mike

[samstephens]

Filezilla have "Getting started" videos on their website - they'll run you through it step by step!

cheers
Sam

[mark eastley]

Hi Ian,

Just to let you know that there is a very good Firefox add on called FireFTP which is basically the same as Filezilla but is accessed from your Firefox toolbar. Very easy to use... Find it here FireFTP - The Free FTP Client for Mozilla Firefox

Hope this is hopeful.

Catch up with you soon!!!

Cheers,
Mark

P.S. I see its already been mentioned. It's certainly worth trying...

[Ian Jackson]

In spite of already having added www.mynewdomain.com to my Hostgator/cPanel account, is this new domain the one I should use for the "Host:" prompt in Filezilla?

For the Filezilla "User" and "password" prompt boxes, do I just type in something and keep a record for the next time I login?

Since I've already added www.mynewdomain.com to my Hostgator/cPanel account, does this imply that there's now a relationship between the two upload facilities, with respect to www.mynewdomain.com?

All else seems reasonably straightforward.

Thanks

[JazzOscar]

Originally Posted by Ian Jackson

In spite of already having added www.mynewdomain.com to my Hostgator/cPanel account, is this new domain the one I should use for the "Host:" prompt in Filezilla?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Ian Jackson

For the Filezilla "User" and "password" prompt boxes, do I just type in something and keep a record for the next time I login?

No. They are the FTP username and password that you chose, or that were chosen for you, when you added your domain to your hosting account. FileZilla saves them for you. The next time you use FileZilla you just have to choose the domain name from FileZilla's list of domains, then click Connect.

Originally Posted by Ian Jackson

Since I've already added www.mynewdomain.com to my Hostgator/cPanel account, does this imply that there's now a relationship between the two upload facilities, with respect to www.mynewdomain.com?-----

Yes. The FTP method via FileZilla and the HTTP method via your browser are just using two different protocols, FTP and HTTP, to connect to your domain.

[HeySal]

Loading through cpanel is safer - the JS redirects are using ftp to gain access to sites. They completely ruin your ftp even after you change passwords again so you just have to go through a lot of delete and reinstall - any residual piece of the ftp in your computer will result in a messed up ftp even on a reinstall after that. Nasty crap and can be avoided as long as you can download via cpanel.

[Chris Grable]

I prefer FileZilla over cPanel because it's easy and convenient..... BUT.. with my host and maye a lot of others, uploads made though cpanel don't count against the account's badwidth allocation. They do when you use an FTP client.

[Dave Weaver]

You can upload via cpanel using a zip file, then extract the files on your site. If you do it this way be sure to keep in mind the file structure and where you are extracting the zip file.
This works well when you are uploading the full site especially smaller ones. I have also uploaded zip files to particular folders and extracted them there with no problem.

It's always good to know alternative ways to do things

Filezilla should be fine and it's hard to argue with free! I like ace ftp but it just comes down to your own preference.

Dave Weaver

[masterbis]

For me using FTP client like Filezilla, definitely a smarter choice than using upload feature in Cpanel. Not only because I have trouble with slow connection but also it's much complicated in my opinion, having to upload file one by one.

To Ian, you can lose "www" when typing your HOST name. While as for user and password, you fill it with user and password for your Cpanel. Filezilla will automatically record this. So by the time you wanna use it again, either you select from the list, or you can just click one button: "the green checklist" and it will reload the latest connection made.

As you notice, if you just leave the connection (between your desktop and cpanel with filezilla) open, it will automatically stop after certain amount of idle time. So nothing to worry.

And the good thing about using FTP client like Filezilla, you can upload all the files at once by selecting (CTRL A) and let them do the rest for you, while you can concentrate on other task in your comp. If somehow you need to upload the same file again due to lost of connection, and prompted with pop up window asking what you will do with the file, just choose "continue" and it will continue with the latest disrupted transfer.

[zapseo]

Originally Posted by HeySal

Loading through cpanel is safer - the JS redirects are using ftp to gain access to sites. They completely ruin your ftp even after you change passwords again so you just have to go through a lot of delete and reinstall - any residual piece of the ftp in your computer will result in a messed up ftp even on a reinstall after that. Nasty crap and can be avoided as long as you can download via cpanel.

Sal

I've read most of the posts on this thread, and then landed on yours. There's undoubtedly some intervening information.

What the HECK are you talking about with js redirects ?

[HeySal]

Originally Posted by zapseo

Sal

I've read most of the posts on this thread, and then landed on yours. There's undoubtedly some intervening information.

What the HECK are you talking about with js redirects ?

JS (Java Script) Redirect virus - google them, I've already been through this many times and couldn't even begin to tell you as much about them as some of the tech forums that show up if you google them. Seems many of them are traveling via FTP hacking. I know I lost my entire PHP function on one server from them. New server now and have php programs being reinstalled - trying to clean off the pics to put them back in photo gallery but just saying forget most of them. Same with forum - gonna probably just ditch 3 years of forum activity and start fresh - this thing infected 1000 pages in about 15 minutes once it got in. Chewed security holes in everything so it was hard to even shut the damn thing out. It was re-entering as fast as we could change passwords and shut down scripts. Real fun stuff.

[Ian Jackson]

ok, I've just tried loggin into filezilla, using...

Host: www.mydomain.com User: myusername P/W: mypassword
(all copied/pasted)

and get the following error:

Status: Resolving address of www.mydomain.com
Status: Connecting to xx.xx.xx.xx:…
Status: Connection established, waiting for welcome message...
Response: 220---------- Welcome to Pure-FTPd [TLS] ----------
Response: 220-You are user number 1 of 50 allowed.
Response: 220-Local time is now 13:40. Server port: 21.
Response: 220 You will be disconnected after 15 minutes of inactivity.
Command: USER xxxxxxxx
Response: 331 User mydomain OK. Password required
Command: PASS ************
Response: 530 Login authentication failed
Error: Critical error
Error: Could not connect to server


To risk stating the obvious "mydomain" is for example only

Any clues please?

thanks

[zapseo]

Edited to add:

Checked it out.
Your login information is incorrect.

Could be due to a variety of reasons.

Double-check the login credentials you put into the "site" in filezilla.
(you DID put in the login credentials, didn't you?)

[zapseo]

@HeySal --

Ohhhhhhhhh!
A little context might have been helpful. Not about what js is. Got that one down cold, thanks. But that you are talking about a virus.

since you are mentioning images, have you checked to make sure that everything in your files that ends in .png, .psd, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, etc. are ACTUALLY image files.

Get me shell access to your account and I can check that out for you rapidly.

Something that infected 1000 pages in 15 minutes is SLOW.

Contact me, Sal, I may be able to help you out. David Perdew of Niche Simple actually considered hiring me to help him out when his server got hacked. I can probably give you a much better idea of whether you really need to ditch all that content.

Sounds like that you didn't manage to shut off the hole that allowed the crackers to steal your ftp passwords.

Don't know who your hosting company is ... but what people should know is that ftp is an insecure protocol -- it sends login credentials via plaintext.
The deal about the hosting company is -- you may want to see if you can get ssh access on your hosting account and then use sftp instead of ftp. Much more secure. Login credentials don't get sent via plaintext.

But hosting companies have other issues with ssh (that, as far as I know, are easily solved.)

Give me ssh access to your account and what you know about the cracking that's been done and/or attempted, and I can probably give you a pretty good idea of what is and isn't recoverable.

I hate to see people lose information due to crackers.

Originally Posted by HeySal

JS (Java Script) Redirect virus - google them, I've already been through this many times and couldn't even begin to tell you as much about them as some of the tech forums that show up if you google them. Seems many of them are traveling via FTP hacking. I know I lost my entire PHP function on one server from them. New server now and have php programs being reinstalled - trying to clean off the pics to put them back in photo gallery but just saying forget most of them. Same with forum - gonna probably just ditch 3 years of forum activity and start fresh - this thing infected 1000 pages in about 15 minutes once it got in. Chewed security holes in everything so it was hard to even shut the damn thing out. It was re-entering as fast as we could change passwords and shut down scripts. Real fun stuff.