How to Upload Files to an Apache Web Server

Make your files visible on the Web.

Apache servers are the most common type of Web servers used on a Linux platform. Many hosting providers already have a built-in file uploading facility, usually accessible from the "File Manager" area of the control panel.



If your website is hosted on your own computer, there will be a default "htdocs" folder you can just copy the files to. If, however, it is hosted remotely (i.e. not on your own computer) you will need an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) browser to transfer local files to it. There are some very good free versions around; Filezilla and Core FTP are examples.

Things You'll Need

• Hosting account
• FTP browser

Instructions

1. Download and install the FTP browser of your choice by following the instructions given (see References). When it opens you will see two main windows; the one on the left usually contains files on your own computer, and the one on the right contains the files on the server.

2. Log in to your Web server by using the FTP browser. You will need to enter the site name, the host URL, your username, password and the type of connection (i.e. FTP). When the information has been entered, click "Connect" to establish a connection.

3. Look for the "public_html" folder on the remote server. This is usually where any files you want published will reside. Open the "public_html" folder by double-clicking it.

4. Upload the files to that folder by dragging them from your own computer (left side) to the Web server (right side). You can also click the file on your own computer and click the "upload" icon to do the same thing. When the transfer starts, a progress bar will appear showing you the rate of transfer.

5. Compress or zip any large files by using Win Zip or other similar software to speed up the transfer time. The FTP browser will normally automatically adjust the file type, but just check that it uses ASCII for any text or HTML files and Binary for image file types.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't want files to be publicly visible, don't put them in the "public_html" folder. You can create a folder and name it "private," for example, and put them there.

• Some hosting providers use a security feature that locks any FTP transfer. You will have to unlock it before you can transfer files remotely using an FTP browser.

References

• Core FTP
• Filezilla FTP