For security reasons, Birdhouse strongly recommends using SFTP to transfer files (Secure FTP) into your account, rather than FTP However, SFTP only works for transferring files into the master account. There are times when this is inappropriate. For example:

• You may have employees responsible for updating just one section of your site, and you don’t want to share the master account password with them.
• You may want to provide a drop-space into which a 3rd party can upload content or feeds that become part of your site - it would not be appropriate to share your master account password with a 3rd party.
• You may want to provide a semi-secret drop box into which public users can place content.

Traditional FTP lets you create multiple FTP accounts separate from the master account, and pointing to specific directory locations (thus preventing FTP users from “surfing” around to see other files on the system).

It is possible to use traditional FTP to connect with the master account’s username and password. We recommend strongly against doing this — that’s what SFTP is for.

To create separate FTP accounts with their own passwords, log into cPanel and click Site Management Tools | FTP Manager, then “FTP Accounts.” Click “Add FTP Account.” Enter a login name, password, and disk quota for the new FTP user.

If you enter a single / in the directory box, the new FTP user will have access to the entire public_html directory and all directories under it. If you just want the new user to be able to access a specific folder, type the path to that folder, e.g. “/bongo” (the “bongo” directory may or may not already exist).

Important: FTP users should be instructed to connect as username@domain.com, where username is the name of the FTP account you just created. In other words, traditional FTP accounts on Birdhouse get usernames that look like email addresses — this is not optional.

Once connected, transferring files is generally a simple drag-and-drop affair from the user’s desktop or file manager onto the server.

Note:  If your traditional FTP client has trouble showing a directory listing once connected, disconnect it and set the connection type to passive mode.

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