gftp

gftp [options] [hostname | url]

-d, --debug
    Enables debugging output for troubleshooting connection or transfer issues.

-P <port>, --port <port>
    Specifies the remote server port to connect to, overriding the default protocol port.

-u <username>, --user <username>
    Provides the username for automatic login to the remote server.

-p <password>, --password <password>
    Provides the password for automatic login. Note: This option is generally discouraged for security reasons as it exposes credentials.

-a <account>, --account <account>
    Specifies an account string for servers that require it after authentication.

-l <path>, --local-dir <path>
    Sets the initial local directory that gftp will open upon launch.

-r <path>, --remote-dir <path>
    Sets the initial remote directory on the server that gftp will navigate to.

-b <name>, --bookmark <name>
    Opens a specific site configuration stored as a bookmark in gftp's site manager.

-s <name>, --site <name>
    Similar to --bookmark, used to open a named site configuration.

-v, --version
    Displays the version information of the gftp client.

-h, --help
    Prints a summary of command-line options and usage.

gftp is a free, open-source graphical FTP client designed for Unix-like operating systems, leveraging the GTK+ toolkit for its user interface. It provides a user-friendly way to transfer files between local and remote computers using various protocols, including FTP, FTPS (FTP over SSL), HTTP, HTTPS, SSH (SFTP), and FXP (server-to-server transfers). Its dual-pane interface allows for easy navigation of local and remote file systems, facilitating drag-and-drop transfers. While robust for its time, it is an older application and may not be actively maintained or widely available on newer distributions compared to more modern alternatives like FileZilla.

Being a graphical application, gftp is less suitable for scripting or automated tasks. It is an older piece of software, with its last stable release dating back to 2008, meaning it may not be actively maintained or natively available on all modern Linux distributions. Using the --password option on the command line is a security risk as it exposes login credentials.

gftp features a highly intuitive dual-pane interface, allowing users to simultaneously view and navigate both their local file system and the remote server's directory structure. This design facilitates easy drag-and-drop file transfers between the two locations.

Beyond standard FTP, gftp extended its capabilities to support secure protocols such as FTPS (FTP over SSL) and SSH (for SFTP), as well as HTTP/HTTPS for web-based transfers. It also included support for FXP, enabling direct server-to-server file transfers without routing data through the client's machine.

gftp was initially developed by Brian Masney and first released in 1998. It quickly became one of the prominent graphical FTP clients for Unix-like operating systems, leveraging the then-emerging GTK+ toolkit. Its development was active through the early 2000s, with its final stable version (2.0.19) released in 2008. While revolutionary for its time, its active development has largely ceased, leading to its gradual replacement by newer, more feature-rich, and actively maintained clients in the Linux ecosystem.

ftp(1), sftp(1), lftp(1), ncftp(1), wget(1), curl(1), filezilla(1)