Using PHP FTP Functions to Connect, Download, and Upload Files

When transferring files to a remote server, FTP is a common choice, and PHP provides built‑in FTP functions for connecting, downloading, and uploading files.

First ensure the FTP extension is enabled in php.ini (remove any comment from extension=ftp).

Connecting to the FTP server

<?php
$ftp_server = "ftp.example.com";
$ftp_username = "username";
$ftp_password = "password";

// Establish connection
$conn_id = ftp_connect($ftp_server);
if (!$conn_id) {
    die("Unable to connect to FTP server");
}

// Login
$login_result = ftp_login($conn_id, $ftp_username, $ftp_password);
if (!$login_result) {
    die("Unable to login to FTP server");
}

// Optional passive mode
ftp_pasv($conn_id, true);

// ... perform FTP operations ...

ftp_close($conn_id);
?>

Downloading a file

<?php
// Remote and local file paths
$remote_file = "/path/to/remote/file.txt";
$local_file = "/path/to/local/file.txt";

// Download
if (ftp_get($conn_id, $local_file, $remote_file, FTP_BINARY)) {
    echo "File download successful";
} else {
    echo "File download failed";
}
?>

Uploading a file

<?php
// Local and remote file paths
$local_file = "/path/to/local/file.txt";
$remote_file = "/path/to/remote/file.txt";

// Upload
if (ftp_put($conn_id, $remote_file, $local_file, FTP_BINARY)) {
    echo "File upload successful";
} else {
    echo "File upload failed";
}
?>

Adjust server address, credentials, and file paths as needed, ensure proper permissions, and consider error handling, progress tracking, and using SSL/TLS for secure FTP connections.