The desktop environment with its bundle of programs sharing a common graphical user interface (GUI) remains a firm favorite with users. Not surprising really given that a good desktop environment makes computing fun and simple. The graphical desktop environment has become so ingrained in almost everyone’s computer activities that it might seem the command line will wither away. Yet, there is still an important role to play for the powerful command-line interface (CLI).
The CLI provides a way of interacting with a computer program where the user (or client) issues commands to the program in the form of successive lines of text (command lines). This way, the user gains full control over the operating system. There are many advantages in using a CLI application. They are generally frugal in using system resources, they are fast in operation, offer great scripting opportunities, and can be extremely powerful and flexible. Typing commands into a terminal or the console may appear mundane, but with the right tools, the command line can be incredibly powerful. A CLI app may also save your bacon one day; it has mine!
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) used to be a popular and time-honored method of transferring files to and from a remote network site. The need for FTP has declined significantly; many consider FTP to be an unfriendly protocol when it comes to accessing data. Further, it is an insecure protocol as it sends your credentials in plain text to the server. However, there are still occasions where transferring files via this protocol has been useful; the time to put FTP to bed has not yet come. SFTP and FXP are also supported by these clients.
This article provides our pick of the best open source command line file transfer programs. The software featured here supports a number of different protocols, not just FTP. They offer shell-like command syntax, and are great for scripting purposes.
Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks.com chart. Only free and open source software is eligible for inclusion.
Let’s explore the command-line FTP clients. For each title we’ve prepared a dedicated page including a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, together with links to relevant resources. Click the links below to learn about each FTP client.
| Command-line FTP Clients | |
|---|---|
| NcFTP | Popular console based user interface File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client program |
| LFTP | Mature open source file retrieving tool |
| termscp | Feature rich terminal file transfer and explorer, with support for SCP/SFTP/FTP/S3 |
| Rclone | Command-line tool for syncing files with cloud storage |
| SuppaFTP | FTP/FTPS client library and built-in command-line FTP client |
| tnftp | Based on the original BSD FTP client |
| cbftp | Advanced, multi-purpose client that focuses on efficient large-scale data spreading |
| lssh | List-based ssh, scp, sftp client |
| lazyftp | Keyboard-driven terminal client for managing FTP transfers |
| atftp | Client/server implementation of the TFTP protocol |
This article has been updated to reflect the changes outlined in our recent announcement.
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