Click here to Skip to main content
16,016,161 members
Articles / General Programming
Tip/Trick

Simple C# FTP Class

Rate me:
Please Sign up or sign in to vote.
4.81/5 (166 votes)
27 Mar 2013CPOL 1.1M   157   148
Easy to use class for downloading, uploading, and other FTP commands.

Introduction

I use FTP for a number of applications quite regularly, so I put together this class to make my life easier.  It allows you to quickly and easily perform a variety of FTP functions without hassle.  I hope sharing this will make your coding easier as well.  For the full code, check out my blog http://meta-struct.com/.  If this helps, please rate well!

Using the code

Using the code is simple, you'll need to be using System.IO and System.Net namespaces.  Add the class to your project, then just create a new instance of the ftp class, use the function of choice, and free the resource when you're done:

C#
/* Create Object Instance */
ftp ftpClient = new ftp(@"ftp://10.10.10.10/", "user", "password");

/* Upload a File */
ftpClient.upload("etc/test.txt", @"C:\Users\metastruct\Desktop\test.txt");

/* Download a File */
ftpClient.download("etc/test.txt", @"C:\Users\metastruct\Desktop\test.txt");

/* Delete a File */
ftpClient.delete("etc/test.txt");

/* Rename a File */
ftpClient.rename("etc/test.txt", "test2.txt");

/* Create a New Directory */
ftpClient.createDirectory("etc/test");

/* Get the Date/Time a File was Created */
string fileDateTime = ftpClient.getFileCreatedDateTime("etc/test.txt");
Console.WriteLine(fileDateTime);

/* Get the Size of a File */
string fileSize = ftpClient.getFileSize("etc/test.txt");
Console.WriteLine(fileSize);

/* Get Contents of a Directory (Names Only) */
string[] simpleDirectoryListing = ftpClient.directoryListDetailed("/etc");
for (int i = 0; i < simpleDirectoryListing.Count(); i++) { Console.WriteLine(simpleDirectoryListing[i]); }

/* Get Contents of a Directory with Detailed File/Directory Info */
string[] detailDirectoryListing = ftpClient.directoryListDetailed("/etc");
for (int i = 0; i < detailDirectoryListing.Count(); i++) { Console.WriteLine(detailDirectoryListing[i]); }
/* Release Resources */
ftpClient = null;

Here is the code for the class with comments:

C#
class ftp
{
    private string host = null;
    private string user = null;
    private string pass = null;
    private FtpWebRequest ftpRequest = null;
    private FtpWebResponse ftpResponse = null;
    private Stream ftpStream = null;
    private int bufferSize = 2048;
        
    /* Construct Object */
    public ftp(string hostIP, string userName, string password) { host = hostIP; user = userName; pass = password; }

    /* Download File */
    public void download(string remoteFile, string localFile)
    {
        try
        {
            /* Create an FTP Request */
            ftpRequest = (FtpWebRequest)FtpWebRequest.Create(host + "/" + remoteFile);
            /* Log in to the FTP Server with the User Name and Password Provided */
            ftpRequest.Credentials = new NetworkCredential(user, pass);
            /* When in doubt, use these options */
            ftpRequest.UseBinary = true;
            ftpRequest.UsePassive = true;
            ftpRequest.KeepAlive = true;
            /* Specify the Type of FTP Request */
            ftpRequest.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.DownloadFile;
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpResponse = (FtpWebResponse)ftpRequest.GetResponse();
            /* Get the FTP Server's Response Stream */
            ftpStream = ftpResponse.GetResponseStream();
            /* Open a File Stream to Write the Downloaded File */
            FileStream localFileStream = new FileStream(localFile, FileMode.Create);
            /* Buffer for the Downloaded Data */
            byte[] byteBuffer = new byte[bufferSize];
            int bytesRead = ftpStream.Read(byteBuffer, 0, bufferSize);
            /* Download the File by Writing the Buffered Data Until the Transfer is Complete */
            try
            {
                while (bytesRead > 0)
                {
                    localFileStream.Write(byteBuffer, 0, bytesRead);
                    bytesRead = ftpStream.Read(byteBuffer, 0, bufferSize);
                }
            }
            catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
            /* Resource Cleanup */
            localFileStream.Close();
            ftpStream.Close();
            ftpResponse.Close();
            ftpRequest = null;
        }
        catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
        return;
    }

    /* Upload File */
    public void upload(string remoteFile, string localFile)
    {
        try
        {
            /* Create an FTP Request */
            ftpRequest = (FtpWebRequest)FtpWebRequest.Create(host + "/" + remoteFile);
            /* Log in to the FTP Server with the User Name and Password Provided */
            ftpRequest.Credentials = new NetworkCredential(user, pass);
            /* When in doubt, use these options */
            ftpRequest.UseBinary = true;
            ftpRequest.UsePassive = true;
            ftpRequest.KeepAlive = true;
            /* Specify the Type of FTP Request */
            ftpRequest.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.UploadFile;
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpStream = ftpRequest.GetRequestStream();
            /* Open a File Stream to Read the File for Upload */
            FileStream localFileStream = new FileStream(localFile, FileMode.Create);
            /* Buffer for the Downloaded Data */
            byte[] byteBuffer = new byte[bufferSize];
            int bytesSent = localFileStream.Read(byteBuffer, 0, bufferSize);
            /* Upload the File by Sending the Buffered Data Until the Transfer is Complete */
            try
            {
                while (bytesSent != 0)
                {
                    ftpStream.Write(byteBuffer, 0, bytesSent);
                    bytesSent = localFileStream.Read(byteBuffer, 0, bufferSize);
                }
            }
            catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
            /* Resource Cleanup */
            localFileStream.Close();
            ftpStream.Close();
            ftpRequest = null;
        }
        catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
        return;
    }

    /* Delete File */
    public void delete(string deleteFile)
    {
        try
        {
            /* Create an FTP Request */
            ftpRequest = (FtpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(host + "/" + deleteFile);
            /* Log in to the FTP Server with the User Name and Password Provided */
            ftpRequest.Credentials = new NetworkCredential(user, pass);
            /* When in doubt, use these options */
            ftpRequest.UseBinary = true;
            ftpRequest.UsePassive = true;
            ftpRequest.KeepAlive = true;
            /* Specify the Type of FTP Request */
            ftpRequest.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.DeleteFile;
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpResponse = (FtpWebResponse)ftpRequest.GetResponse();
            /* Resource Cleanup */
            ftpResponse.Close();
            ftpRequest = null;
        }
        catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
        return;
    }

    /* Rename File */
    public void rename(string currentFileNameAndPath, string newFileName)
    {
        try
        {
            /* Create an FTP Request */
            ftpRequest = (FtpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(host + "/" + currentFileNameAndPath);
            /* Log in to the FTP Server with the User Name and Password Provided */
            ftpRequest.Credentials = new NetworkCredential(user, pass);
            /* When in doubt, use these options */
            ftpRequest.UseBinary = true;
            ftpRequest.UsePassive = true;
            ftpRequest.KeepAlive = true;
            /* Specify the Type of FTP Request */
            ftpRequest.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.Rename;
            /* Rename the File */
            ftpRequest.RenameTo = newFileName;
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpResponse = (FtpWebResponse)ftpRequest.GetResponse();
            /* Resource Cleanup */
            ftpResponse.Close();
            ftpRequest = null;
        }
        catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
        return;
    }

    /* Create a New Directory on the FTP Server */
    public void createDirectory(string newDirectory)
    {
        try
        {
            /* Create an FTP Request */
            ftpRequest = (FtpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(host + "/" + newDirectory);
            /* Log in to the FTP Server with the User Name and Password Provided */
            ftpRequest.Credentials = new NetworkCredential(user, pass);
            /* When in doubt, use these options */
            ftpRequest.UseBinary = true;
            ftpRequest.UsePassive = true;
            ftpRequest.KeepAlive = true;
            /* Specify the Type of FTP Request */
            ftpRequest.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.MakeDirectory;
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpResponse = (FtpWebResponse)ftpRequest.GetResponse();
            /* Resource Cleanup */
            ftpResponse.Close();
            ftpRequest = null;
        }
        catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
        return;
    }

    /* Get the Date/Time a File was Created */
    public string getFileCreatedDateTime(string fileName)
    {
        try
        {
            /* Create an FTP Request */
            ftpRequest = (FtpWebRequest)FtpWebRequest.Create(host + "/" + fileName);
            /* Log in to the FTP Server with the User Name and Password Provided */
            ftpRequest.Credentials = new NetworkCredential(user, pass);
            /* When in doubt, use these options */
            ftpRequest.UseBinary = true;
            ftpRequest.UsePassive = true;
            ftpRequest.KeepAlive = true;
            /* Specify the Type of FTP Request */
            ftpRequest.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.GetDateTimestamp;
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpResponse = (FtpWebResponse)ftpRequest.GetResponse();
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpStream = ftpResponse.GetResponseStream();
            /* Get the FTP Server's Response Stream */
            StreamReader ftpReader = new StreamReader(ftpStream);
            /* Store the Raw Response */
            string fileInfo = null;
            /* Read the Full Response Stream */
            try { fileInfo = ftpReader.ReadToEnd(); }
            catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
            /* Resource Cleanup */
            ftpReader.Close();
            ftpStream.Close();
            ftpResponse.Close();
            ftpRequest = null;
            /* Return File Created Date Time */
            return fileInfo;
        }
        catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
        /* Return an Empty string Array if an Exception Occurs */
        return "";
    }

    /* Get the Size of a File */
    public string getFileSize(string fileName)
    {
        try
        {
            /* Create an FTP Request */
            ftpRequest = (FtpWebRequest)FtpWebRequest.Create(host + "/" + fileName);
            /* Log in to the FTP Server with the User Name and Password Provided */
            ftpRequest.Credentials = new NetworkCredential(user, pass);
            /* When in doubt, use these options */
            ftpRequest.UseBinary = true;
            ftpRequest.UsePassive = true;
            ftpRequest.KeepAlive = true;
            /* Specify the Type of FTP Request */
            ftpRequest.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.GetFileSize;
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpResponse = (FtpWebResponse)ftpRequest.GetResponse();
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpStream = ftpResponse.GetResponseStream();
            /* Get the FTP Server's Response Stream */
            StreamReader ftpReader = new StreamReader(ftpStream);
            /* Store the Raw Response */
            string fileInfo = null;
            /* Read the Full Response Stream */
            try { while (ftpReader.Peek() != -1) { fileInfo = ftpReader.ReadToEnd(); } }
            catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
            /* Resource Cleanup */
            ftpReader.Close();
            ftpStream.Close();
            ftpResponse.Close();
            ftpRequest = null;
            /* Return File Size */
            return fileInfo;
        }
        catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
        /* Return an Empty string Array if an Exception Occurs */
        return "";
    }

    /* List Directory Contents File/Folder Name Only */
    public string[] directoryListSimple(string directory)
    {
        try
        {
            /* Create an FTP Request */
            ftpRequest = (FtpWebRequest)FtpWebRequest.Create(host + "/" + directory);
            /* Log in to the FTP Server with the User Name and Password Provided */
            ftpRequest.Credentials = new NetworkCredential(user, pass);
            /* When in doubt, use these options */
            ftpRequest.UseBinary = true;
            ftpRequest.UsePassive = true;
            ftpRequest.KeepAlive = true;
            /* Specify the Type of FTP Request */
            ftpRequest.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.ListDirectory;
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpResponse = (FtpWebResponse)ftpRequest.GetResponse();
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpStream = ftpResponse.GetResponseStream();
            /* Get the FTP Server's Response Stream */
            StreamReader ftpReader = new StreamReader(ftpStream);
            /* Store the Raw Response */
            string directoryRaw = null;
            /* Read Each Line of the Response and Append a Pipe to Each Line for Easy Parsing */
            try { while (ftpReader.Peek() != -1) { directoryRaw += ftpReader.ReadLine() + "|"; } }
            catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
            /* Resource Cleanup */
            ftpReader.Close();
            ftpStream.Close();
            ftpResponse.Close();
            ftpRequest = null;
            /* Return the Directory Listing as a string Array by Parsing 'directoryRaw' with the Delimiter you Append (I use | in This Example) */
            try { string[] directoryList = directoryRaw.Split("|".ToCharArray()); return directoryList; }
            catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
        }
        catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
        /* Return an Empty string Array if an Exception Occurs */
        return new string[] { "" };
    }

    /* List Directory Contents in Detail (Name, Size, Created, etc.) */
    public string[] directoryListDetailed(string directory)
    {
        try
        {
            /* Create an FTP Request */
            ftpRequest = (FtpWebRequest)FtpWebRequest.Create(host + "/" + directory);
            /* Log in to the FTP Server with the User Name and Password Provided */
            ftpRequest.Credentials = new NetworkCredential(user, pass);
            /* When in doubt, use these options */
            ftpRequest.UseBinary = true;
            ftpRequest.UsePassive = true;
            ftpRequest.KeepAlive = true;
            /* Specify the Type of FTP Request */
            ftpRequest.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.ListDirectoryDetails;
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpResponse = (FtpWebResponse)ftpRequest.GetResponse();
            /* Establish Return Communication with the FTP Server */
            ftpStream = ftpResponse.GetResponseStream();
            /* Get the FTP Server's Response Stream */
            StreamReader ftpReader = new StreamReader(ftpStream);
            /* Store the Raw Response */
            string directoryRaw = null;
            /* Read Each Line of the Response and Append a Pipe to Each Line for Easy Parsing */
            try { while (ftpReader.Peek() != -1) { directoryRaw += ftpReader.ReadLine() + "|"; } }
            catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
            /* Resource Cleanup */
            ftpReader.Close();
            ftpStream.Close();
            ftpResponse.Close();
            ftpRequest = null;
            /* Return the Directory Listing as a string Array by Parsing 'directoryRaw' with the Delimiter you Append (I use | in This Example) */
            try { string[] directoryList = directoryRaw.Split("|".ToCharArray()); return directoryList; }
            catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
        }
        catch (Exception ex) { Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString()); }
        /* Return an Empty string Array if an Exception Occurs */
        return new string[] { "" };
    }
} 

Points of Interest

This assumes the need for "non-default" user name and password.  I use binary mode for transfers in particular because I've had issues in the past without this setting enabled.

History

Just a compilation of FTP functions packaged neatly, help me improve or show your support by rating and commenting!

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)


Written By
Software Developer (Senior)
United States United States
This member has not yet provided a Biography. Assume it's interesting and varied, and probably something to do with programming.

Comments and Discussions

 
SuggestionFTP upload Code need Modification Pin
Anup Gaurav 202210-Aug-22 23:37
Anup Gaurav 202210-Aug-22 23:37 
QuestionHow to Programmaticaly using C# change FTP Password Pin
Member 1370337110-Oct-20 1:35
Member 1370337110-Oct-20 1:35 
AnswerRe: How to Programmaticaly using C# change FTP Password Pin
OriginalGriff10-Oct-20 2:26
mveOriginalGriff10-Oct-20 2:26 
QuestionHow can I get the file modified datetime information Pin
Member 1480141721-Apr-20 5:11
Member 1480141721-Apr-20 5:11 
QuestionError in download(...) method (?) Pin
peterkmx10-Nov-19 9:29
professionalpeterkmx10-Nov-19 9:29 
SuggestionCheck the credentials in the constructor Pin
Ant_22228-Aug-18 2:20
Ant_22228-Aug-18 2:20 
PraiseTotally UseFull Pin
Manuel Castillo16-Apr-18 11:48
Manuel Castillo16-Apr-18 11:48 
PraiseWell good Pin
4528162512-Apr-18 15:12
4528162512-Apr-18 15:12 
QuestionThank Pin
Yves11-Apr-18 10:49
Yves11-Apr-18 10:49 
QuestionIncomplete upload Pin
Member 1332772528-Oct-17 0:55
Member 1332772528-Oct-17 0:55 
AnswerRe: Incomplete upload Pin
Dmitry Kirsanov8-Feb-19 4:13
Dmitry Kirsanov8-Feb-19 4:13 
SuggestionThere are some things wrong, here you can see how to solve it Pin
Member 1346869116-Oct-17 11:45
Member 1346869116-Oct-17 11:45 
BugBug and clarification Pin
Member 1330679613-Jul-17 7:11
Member 1330679613-Jul-17 7:11 
PraiseRe: Bug and clarification Pin
Manuel Castillo16-Apr-18 11:46
Manuel Castillo16-Apr-18 11:46 
QuestionGetting "Unable to connect to the remote server" at position "ftpRequest.GetRequestStream()" in upload method. Pin
Member 1320142915-May-17 3:28
Member 1320142915-May-17 3:28 
AnswerRe: Getting "Unable to connect to the remote server" at position "ftpRequest.GetRequestStream()" in upload method. Pin
Ashok B Yadav2-Feb-20 17:20
Ashok B Yadav2-Feb-20 17:20 
Questionmy vote 5 Pin
andrea contoli23-Jan-17 5:16
andrea contoli23-Jan-17 5:16 
AnswerRe: my vote 5 Pin
andrea contoli25-Jan-17 1:05
andrea contoli25-Jan-17 1:05 
QuestionUploading files will have zero byte size (file is set to empty) Pin
phantomhack2113-Dec-16 16:51
phantomhack2113-Dec-16 16:51 
AnswerRe: Uploading files will have zero byte size (file is set to empty) Pin
ndsoni15-Jan-17 21:04
ndsoni15-Jan-17 21:04 
GeneralRe: Uploading files will have zero byte size (file is set to empty) Pin
nguyenhieu2413-Mar-17 19:06
nguyenhieu2413-Mar-17 19:06 
GeneralRe: Uploading files will have zero byte size (file is set to empty) Pin
ndsoni3-Apr-17 22:10
ndsoni3-Apr-17 22:10 
GeneralRe: Uploading files will have zero byte size (file is set to empty) Pin
ViperGTI11-May-17 12:10
ViperGTI11-May-17 12:10 
GeneralRe: Uploading files will have zero byte size (file is set to empty) Pin
Member 1558082127-Mar-22 9:37
Member 1558082127-Mar-22 9:37 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
viler8424-Nov-16 12:54
viler8424-Nov-16 12:54 

General General    News News    Suggestion Suggestion    Question Question    Bug Bug    Answer Answer    Joke Joke    Praise Praise    Rant Rant    Admin Admin   

Use Ctrl+Left/Right to switch messages, Ctrl+Up/Down to switch threads, Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right to switch pages.