List of FTP commands

Below is a list of FTP commands that may be sent to a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server. It includes all commands that are standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in RFC 959, plus extensions. Note that most command-line FTP clients present their own non-standard set of commands to users. For example, GET is the common user command to download a file instead of the raw command RETR.

Command	RFC	Description
ABOR	RFC 959	Abort an active file transfer.
ACCT	RFC 959	Account information.
ADAT	RFC 2228	Authentication/Security Data
ALLO	RFC 959	Allocate sufficient disk space to receive a file.
APPE	RFC 959	Append (with create)
AUTH	RFC 2228	Authentication/Security Mechanism
AVBL	Streamlined FTP Command Extensions	Get the available space
CCC	RFC 2228	Clear Command Channel
CDUP	RFC 959	Change to Parent Directory.
CONF	RFC 2228	Confidentiality Protection Command
CSID	Streamlined FTP Command Extensions	Client / Server Identification
CWD	RFC 697	Change working directory.
DELE	RFC 959	Delete file.
DSIZ	Streamlined FTP Command Extensions	Get the directory size
ENC	RFC 2228	Privacy Protected Channel
EPRT	RFC 2428	Specifies an extended address and port to which the server should connect.
EPSV	RFC 2428	Enter extended passive mode.
FEAT	RFC 2389	Get the feature list implemented by the server.
HELP	RFC 959	Returns usage documentation on a command if specified, else a general help document is returned.
HOST	RFC 7151	Identify desired virtual host on server, by name.
LANG	RFC 2640	Language Negotiation
LIST	RFC 959	Returns information of a file or directory if specified, else information of the current working directory is returned.
LPRT	RFC 1639	Specifies a long address and port to which the server should connect.
LPSV	RFC 1639	Enter long passive mode.
MDTM	RFC 3659	Return the last-modified time of a specified file.
MFCT	The 'MFMT', 'MFCT', and 'MFF' Command Extensions for FTP	Modify the creation time of a file.
MFF	The 'MFMT', 'MFCT', and 'MFF' Command Extensions for FTP	Modify fact (the last modification time, creation time, UNIX group/owner/mode of a file).
MFMT	The 'MFMT', 'MFCT', and 'MFF' Command Extensions for FTP	Modify the last modification time of a file.
MIC	RFC 2228	Integrity Protected Command
MKD	RFC 959	Make directory.
MLSD	RFC 3659	Lists the contents of a directory in a standardized machine-readable format.
MLST	RFC 3659	Provides data about exactly the object named on its command line in a standardized machine-readable format.
MODE	RFC 959	Sets the transfer mode (Stream, Block, or Compressed).
NLST	RFC 959	Returns a list of file names in a specified directory.
NOOP	RFC 959	No operation (dummy packet; used mostly on keepalives).
OPTS	RFC 2389	Select options for a feature (for example OPTS UTF8 ON).
PASS	RFC 959	Authentication password.
PASV	RFC 959	Enter passive mode.
PBSZ	RFC 2228	Protection Buffer Size
PORT	RFC 959	Specifies an address and port to which the server should connect.
PROT	RFC 2228	Data Channel Protection Level.
PWD	RFC 959	Print working directory. Returns the current directory of the host.
QUIT	RFC 959	Disconnect.
REIN	RFC 959	Re initializes the connection.
REST	RFC 3659	Restart transfer from the specified point.
RETR	RFC 959	Retrieve a copy of the file
RMD	RFC 959	Remove a directory.
RMDA	Streamlined FTP Command Extensions	Remove a directory tree
RNFR	RFC 959	Rename from.
RNTO	RFC 959	Rename to.
SITE	RFC 959	Sends site specific commands to remote server (like SITE IDLE 60 or SITE UMASK 002). Inspect SITE HELP output for complete list of supported commands.
SIZE	RFC 3659	Return the size of a file.
SMNT	RFC 959	Mount file structure.
SPSV	FTP Extension Allowing IP Forwarding (NATs)	Use single port passive mode (only one TCP port number for both control connections and passive-mode data connections)
STAT	RFC 959	Returns information on the server status, including the status of the current connection
STOR	RFC 959	Accept the data and to store the data as a file at the server site
STOU	RFC 959	Store file uniquely.
STRU	RFC 959	Set file transfer structure.
SYST	RFC 959	Return system type.
THMB	Streamlined FTP Command Extensions	Get a thumbnail of a remote image file
TYPE	RFC 959	Sets the transfer mode (ASCII/Binary).
USER	RFC 959	Authentication username.
XCUP	&1000775 RFC 775	Change to the parent of the current working directory
XMKD	&1000775 RFC 775	Make a directory
XPWD	&1000775 RFC 775	Print the current working directory
XRCP	&1000743 RFC 743	RFC 959
XRMD	&1000775 RFC 775	Remove the directory
XRSQ	&1000743 RFC 743	RFC 959
XSEM	&1000737 RFC 737	Send, mail if cannot
XSEN	&1000737 RFC 737	Send to terminal

See also

• List of FTP server return codes - in response to commands from a client, the FTP server returns reply codes

External links

• RFC 697 - CWD Command of FTP
• RFC 959 - File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
• RFC 1639 - FTP Operation Over Big Address Records (FOOBAR)
• RFC 2228 - FTP Security Extensions
• RFC 2389 - Feature negotiation mechanism for the File Transfer Protocol
• RFC 2428 - FTP Extensions for IPv6 and NATs
• RFC 2640 - Internationalization of the File Transfer Protocol
• RFC 3659 - Extensions to FTP
• RFC 5797 - FTP Command and Extension Registry
• RFC 7151 - File Transfer Protocol HOST Command for Virtual Hosts
• The 'MFMT', 'MFCT', and 'MFF' Command Extensions for FTP
• Streamlined FTP Command Extensions ('CSID', 'AVBL', 'DSIZ', 'RMDA', and 'THMB' commands)
• FTP Extension Allowing IP Forwarding (NATs)
• UTF-8 Option for FTP
• IANA FTP Commands and Extensions registry - The official registry of FTP Commands and Extensions
• Raw FTP command list