How to make ftp over http?

Question

Ftp can be accessed by ftp://example.com but I have seen people accessing ftp using http://ftp.example.com How can I achieve this kind of functionality? Is there a way I can do this by installing some software?

Solution 1

There is simply a web server installed on the same host as the FTP server, allowing the files to be retrieved by FTP or by HTTP.

Solution 2

This is an HTTP URL. The name ftp.example.com does not mean it should be an FTP server. It can be just a web interface to download/upload files.

Solution 3

http://ftp.example.com

http:// The protocol that you're using

ftp.example.com The hostname you're connecting to.

That somebody has setup a DNS entry calling their machine implies that it provides FTP service. However, I can name my hosts ftp and not run any FTP service, and I can run also run several other services.

It may be the case that any number of DNS host name point to the same machine on the same IP address, or even one machine hosting different IP addresses. The server naming selection is only common convention.

Comments

[Mathias R. Jessen]

A web server that allows "directory browsing", to be more accurate