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How To Upload To Your Website Using FTP

Video Tutorial

First up is a video tutorial. Remember, if you cannot see it clearly, click on the 'Full Screen' option at the bottom right or download the High Definition Version.

Text Tutorial

In order to upload files and pages to your website you must use an FTP client. Various FTP clients can be found here (new window).

We STRONGLY recommend that you make use of the following information to upload to your server via TLS (often called FTP OVER SSL). Standard FTP broadcasts the username and password in plaintext meaning it is trivial for an attacker to obtain your details. This type of attack is growing.

We are using a generic FTP client here. Although different FTP clients are used by different people the principles are the same. We cannot realistically provide guides for every single FTP client in existance.

Open your FTP client and open a new connection. Ensure that FTP OVER TLS or FTP OVER SSL is selected. This option may be in the advanced settings, or more settings. By default virtually every single FTP client uses standard unencrypted FTP.

Enter the details of your FTP site. If this is your first site with 3dpixelnet i.e. you've just received your welcome email, your FTP details for this site will be the username and password in your welcome email. If you have created additional domains within plesk, the details here will be the username and password used to set up that domain.

Whilst using FTP OVER SSL or FTP OVER TLS you may get a warning about SSL certificates (depending on your client). It's important to remember here that 3DPixel always provide a certificate to prove a secure connection. However, in FTP terms this is not really possible when you connect to the template of ftp.yourdomain.com. The certificate is set up for your server name as 3DPixel name it - in this example: cobalt.3dpixelnet.com as you can see below. Accept this SSL certificate and if possible, tell your FTP client to save it. You should get a secure validated connection.

Once connection is established securely, the following list of folders will present themselves. Looks confusing, but don't worry, you only have to deal with 1 folder most likely: HTTPDOCS. This is where you're webfiles/webpages/web accessible documents are located.

Inside the HTTPDOCS folder will be the generic files that we use to show your website is working. These need to be removed before your site can be uploaded.

Any files you upload are put in HTTPDOCS. To properly show your site the first page / home page / index page must be called index.html / index.php / index.shtml / index.htm or default.html / default.php / default.shtml / default.htm

Please note all the index files are lowercase. Index.html for example will not work. Always use lowercase for all your filenames with no spaces. This is not Windows it's Linux. Case does matter.