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Understanding HTTP and HTTPS file transfers
Automating HTTP(S) file transfers can be more complicated than using the other file transfer protocols supported by Robo-FTP, such as FTP, FTPS, and SFTP. This article describes the two commonly encountered types of HTTP file transfers and provides tips for how to automate them using Robo-FTP.
HTTP file transfer server
This first type of file transfer is the simpler of the two. In this case, the server is set up as a file transfer server and operates more or less the same as if it were an FTP or SFTP file transfer server. The process might look something like this, using Robo-FTP:
- Connect to server using FTPLOGON
- Use SENDFILE to upload a file
- Use RCVFILE to download a file
- Use FTPLOGOFF to disconnect
HTTP web server displaying web forms
This scenario is more complicated. In this case, you are dealing with a web server, not a file transfer server. Both use HTTP to communicate between the client and server, but the nature of that communication is very different. In this case, the client is typically a web browser, and the interaction might look something like this:
- Upon connecting to the server (usually by entering an address in the web browser), the server sends down a web page (usually HTML) to be displayed by the browser. This page is usually a web form (most often, a login form).
- User enters credentials into the web form and clicks a submit button, causing the browser to post the information entered into the form to the web server.
- Assuming the server is able to validate your credentials, the web server sends down another HTML web page, perhaps with an upload web form and an HTML-formatted directory listing of files you could download.
- This process continues throughout the session, with the web server sending HTML-formatted web pages for the browser to display, and the user posting back information via web forms.
It is possible to use Robo-FTP to automate these types of sessions, but it is more complicated because you must write a script that simulates what would otherwise be done using a web browser.
This sample script demonstrates how to simulate using a web upload form to post a file to a web server:
http://kb.robo-ftp.com/script_library/show/26
This sample script demonstrates how to parse an HTML-formatted directory listing sent by the server to determine what files are available for download:
http://kb.robo-ftp.com/script_library/show/59
Robo-FTP Professional Services are available to perform this kind of scripting for you at an hourly rate. If you are interested in this service, please contact Sales here: Contact Sales.
Article last updated: 2022-01-13
Tags: HTTP, HTTPS, POST, Web