The FTP area deals with all the tools relating to setting up and managing FTP
accounts, as well as managing FTP sessions. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a
method by which you can transfer files between computers, usually using the
Internet. There is a huge amount of information stored on FTP servers around the
world that can only be accessed by using FTP. When using FTP you use an
application called a "client" to connect to a machine called a "server".
There are a large number of FTP software packages available. Some of them are
built in to your browser (such as Internet Explorer), others are dedicated
applications (such as such as CuteFTP or WS_FTP), while still others are built
into web applications (File Manager in CPanel is one example). Generally
speaking, if you are going to spend a lot of time using FTP or have a large
amount of files to upload/download, a dedicated FTP client is the way to go.
CPanel allows you to set up FTP accounts so that certain external users can
access a restricted part of your system. You can also set up an anonymous FTP
account so that anyone can access a restricted part of your system. You can also
manage these FTP sessions, cutting them off if they go on for too long.