---
id: ftputil
version: "5.2.0"
license: BSD-3-Clause
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# ftputil — High-level FTP client library (virtual file system and more)

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 631.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

ftputil is a Python FTP client library that abstracts away low-level FTP protocol details by presenting remote FTP servers as a virtual file system. Instead of working directly with FTP commands, you interact with file-like objects and use familiar functions from Python's os and shutil modules to read, write, upload, and download files on remote servers.

The library is designed for developers and system administrators who need reliable, high-level access to FTP resources. It handles common tasks like conditional uploads and downloads and manages timezone differences between local and remote systems. With no external runtime dependencies, it installs cleanly and works across Python 3.6 and later on any operating system.

Use it for:

- Automating bulk file transfers to and from FTP servers using os-like syntax instead of raw FTP commands.
- Building backup or synchronization tools that treat remote FTP directories as local filesystem paths.
- Implementing conditional file uploads or downloads based on file metadata or timestamps across timezones.
- Writing system administration scripts that need to manage files on legacy FTP-only infrastructure.
- Integrating FTP file operations into Python applications without managing connection state manually.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

ftputil provides a high-level FTP client library that wraps FTP connections with a virtual file system interface, allowing you to interact with remote FTP servers using file-like objects and functions similar to Python's os, os.path, and shutil modules.

Yes. ftputil is production-stable, actively maintained, has no external dependencies, and solves a real problem—making FTP access Pythonic and filesystem-like. It's well-suited for automation, scripting, and integration tasks. Install it if you need reliable, high-level FTP access in Python.

## Install

pip install ftputil
uv add ftputil
poetry add ftputil

## Installing ftputil

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies and low friction. The package is actively maintained with a recent release, and classifiers indicate production-stable status.

License in practice: ftputil is licensed under BSD-3-Clause, a permissive open-source license that allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, requiring only preservation of copyright and license notices.

Quickstart:

pip install ftputil

import ftputil
with ftputil.FTPHost('ftp.example.com', 'user', 'password') as host:
    host.download('remote_file.txt', 'local_file.txt')

Requires Python 3.6 or later; FTP server credentials and network access needed.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package handles implicit vs. explicit FTP security modes (FTPS/TLS) beyond what the description states.
- Performance characteristics when working with large files or high-latency connections.
- Specific timezone handling behavior mentioned in the description.

## Package facts

- License: BSD-3-Clause (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 631.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

ftp client library python, virtual file system ftp, remote file access ftp, ftp file operations, ftp download upload, python ftp wrapper, ftp like os module, ftp-client, file-transfer, virtual-filesystem

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