Uploading refers to ''transmitting''
data from one
computer system to another through means of a
network. Common methods of uploading include: uploading via
web browsers,
FTP clients], and
computer terminal, terminals (
SCP
SCP may refer to:
Organizations Political parties
* Soviet Communist Party, the leading political party in the former Soviet Union
* Syrian Communist Party
* Sudanese Communist Party
* Scottish Christian Party
Companies
* Seattle Computer Produ ...
/
SFTP). Uploading can be used in the context of (potentially many)
clients that send files to a central
server. While uploading can also be defined in the context of sending
files
File or filing may refer to:
Mechanical tools and processes
* File (tool), a tool used to ''remove'' fine amounts of material from a workpiece
**Filing (metalworking), a material removal process in manufacturing
** Nail file, a tool used to gent ...
between
distributed clients, such as with a
peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing
protocol like
BitTorrent, the term
file sharing is more often used in this case. Moving files within a computer system, as opposed to over a network, is called
file copying
In digital file management, copying is a file operation that creates a new file which has the same content as an existing file. Computer operating systems include file copying methods to users, with operating systems with graphical user interface ...
.
Uploading directly contrasts with
downloading, where data is ''received'' over a network. In the case of users uploading files over the
internet, uploading is often slower than downloading as many
internet service providers
An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise privatel ...
(ISPs) offer
asymmetric connections, which offer more network
bandwidth for downloading than uploading.
Definition
To transfer something (such as data or files), from a computer or other digital device to the
memory of another device (such as a larger or remote computer) especially via the internet.
Historical development
Remote
file sharing first came into fruition in January 1978, when
Ward Christensen and
Randy Suess, who were members of the Chicago Area Computer Hobbyists' Exchange (CACHE), created the
Computerized Bulletin Board System
CBBS ("Computerized Bulletin Board System") was a computer program created by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess to allow them and other computer hobbyists to exchange information between each other. Jason Scott: , 2005, Episode 1
In Jan ...
(CBBS). This used an early file transfer protocol (MODEM, later
XMODEM) to send
binary files
A binary file is a computer file that is not a text file. The term "binary file" is often used as a term meaning "non-text file". Many binary file formats contain parts that can be interpreted as text; for example, some computer document file ...
via a hardware
modem, accessible by another modem via a
telephone number.
In the following years, new protocols such as
Kermit were released,
until the
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) was standardized 1985 (). FTP is based on
TCP/IP and gave rise to many
FTP clients, which, in turn, gave users all around the world access to the same standard
network protocol to transfer data between devices.
The transfer of data saw a significant increase in popularity after the release of the
World Wide Web in 1991, which, for the first time, allowed users who were not computer hobbyists to easily share files, directly from their web browser over
HTTP.
Resumability of file transfers
Transfers became more reliable with the launch of HTTP/1.1 in 1997 (), which gave users the option to resume downloads that were interrupted, for instance due to unreliable connections. Before web browsers widely rolled out support, software programs like
GetRight
GetRight is a shareware download manager developed by Michael Burford. Burford's company, Headlight Software, first published the program in 1997. At the time of its release, one of GetRight's defining features was its ability to resume an int ...
could be used to resume downloads. Resuming uploads is not currently supported by HTTP, but can be added with the
Tus open protocol for resumable file uploads, which layers resumability of uploads on top of existing HTTP connections.
Types of uploading
Client-to-server uploading
Transmitting a local file to a remote system following the
client–server model, e.g., a web browser transferring a video to a website, is called client-to-server uploading.
Remote uploading
Transferring data from one
remote system
Remote administration refers to any method of controlling a computer from a remote location. Software that allows remote administration is becoming increasingly common and is often used when it is difficult or impractical to be physically near a s ...
to another remote system under the control of a local system is called remote uploading or site-to-site transferring. This is used when a local computer has a slow connection to the remote systems, but these systems have a fast connection between them. Without remote uploading functionality, the data would have to first be downloaded to the local system and then uploaded to the remote server, both times over a slower connection. Remote uploading is used by some online
file hosting services. Another example can be found in FTP clients, which often support the
File eXchange Protocol (FXP) in order to instruct two
FTP servers with high-speed connections to exchange files. A web-based example is the
Uppy file uploader that can transfer files from a user's
cloud storage
Cloud storage is a model of computer data storage in which the digital data is stored in logical pools, said to be on "the cloud". The physical storage spans multiple servers (sometimes in multiple locations), and the physical environment is t ...
such as
Dropbox, directly to a website without first going to the user's device.
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer (P2P) is a
decentralized communications model in which each party has the same capabilities, and either party can initiate a communication session. Unlike the client–server model, in which the client makes a service request and the server fulfils the request (by sending or accepting a file transfer), the
P2P network model allows each
node to function as both client and server.
BitTorrent is an example of this, as is the
InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). Peer-to-peer allows users to both ''receive'' (download) and ''host'' (upload) content. Files are transferred directly between the users' computers. The same file transfer constitutes an upload for one party, and a download for the other party.
Copyright issues
The rising popularity of file sharing during the 1990s culminated in the emergence of
Napster
Napster was a peer-to-peer file sharing application. It originally launched on June 1, 1999, with an emphasis on digital audio file distribution. Audio songs shared on the service were typically encoded in the MP3 format. It was founded by Shawn ...
, a music-sharing
platform specialized in
MP3 files that used peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing technology to allow users exchange files freely. The P2P nature meant there was no central gatekeeper for the content, which eventually led to the widespread availability of
copyrighted material through Napster.
The
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) took notice of Napster's ability to distribute copyrighted music among its user base, and, on December 6, 1999, filed a
motion for a
preliminary injunction
An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in par ...
in order to stop the exchange of copyrighted songs on the service. After a failed appeal by Napster, the injunction was granted on March 5, 2001. On September 24, 2001, Napster, which had already shut down its entire network two months earlier, agreed to pay a $26 million dollar settlement.
After Napster had ceased operations, many other P2P file-sharing services followed in its wake, such as
Limewire,
Kazaa and
Popcorn Time. Besides
software programs
Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
At the lowest programming level, executable code consist ...
, there were many
BitTorrent websites that allowed files to be indexed and searched. These files could then be downloaded via a
BitTorrent client. While the BitTorrent protocol itself is legal and agnostic of the type of content shared, many of the services that did not enforce a strict policy to take down copyrighted material would eventually also run into legal difficulties.
See also
*
Bandwidth
*
Comparison of file transfer protocols
*
Computer network
*
Data
*
Download
*
File sharing
*
Lftp
*
Sideload
*
Timeline of file sharing
This is a timeline of events in the history of networked file sharing.
1970s
* 1976 – Xmodem a point-to-point binary transfer protocol by Ward Christensen.
* February 1978 – Ward Christensen's CBBS becomes the first Bulletin board sys ...
*
Upload components
References
External links
{{commons category, SVG upload icons
An All Too-Brief History of File Sharing
Computer networking
Data transmission
Network file transfer protocols
Servers (computing)