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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 Server may refer to: Computing *Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients Role * Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...
. 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 Protocol may refer to: Sociology and politics * Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states * Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state * Etiquette, a code of personal behavior Science and technology ...
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 Ward Christensen (born 1945 in West Bend, Wisconsin, United States) is the co-founder of the CBBS bulletin board, the first bulletin board system (BBS) ever brought online. Christensen, along with partner Randy Suess, members of the Chicago Area ...
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 Tus or TUS may refer to: * Tus (biology), a protein that binds to terminator sequences * Thales Underwater Systems, an international defence contractor * Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language, ISO 639-3 code Education * Technological Univers ...
, 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, 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 lftp is a command-line program client for several file transfer protocols. lftp is designed for Unix and Unix-like operating systems. It was developed by Alexander Lukyanov, and is distributed under the GNU General Public License. lftp can t ...
* 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 Upload components are software products that are designed to be embedded into a web site to add upload functionality to it. Upload components are designed to replace the standard HTML4 upload mechanism. Compared with HTML4, Upload Components have ...


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)