FTP means File Transfer Protocol. It is used to transfer files from one computer to another over the internet.

In the context of using b2evolution, you may need FTP to transfer the b2evolution files from your home/work computer to your web server. (That is if your web host does not offer automated installation.)

See also: FTP 101: How to upload and manage files on your web server.

Note: You might also use FTP to transfer to your server large quantities of photos/videos you wish to publish. You might also use FTP to set the file permissions of some specific files and directories, if needed.

An "FTP client" (a.k.a. "FTP program" or "FTP software") is a program that will connect to your web server and show you what files are already there. It will then let you transfer (copy) files from your local computer to your server over the Internet.

There are several good free open source FTP clients available for you to use:

• On Windows, Mac and Linux a good free client is FileZilla
• On Mac OS X we also like Transmit (paid)

Attention: one common caveat with first connecting to your web server with your FTP program is that it will not necessarilly show you the files within your web space. It may show you one level above that. If your FTP client shows you a list of folders with names that don’t mean much to you, you should look for a folder called www or public_html. If you see both, don’t panic, they are most likely aliases of other. Try going into www. You should then see the files that actually make up your website. If there is a file named index.html, index.htm or index.php`, this is the default web page that is displayed when you browse to your website.

For a tutorial about using FTP, please see: FTP 101: How to upload and manage files on your web server.