No cables? No shared folders? No worries. Ftp to the rescue.
Tags: ftp, android, tricks
Published: 2019-09-29 22:54:55

---
title: No cables? No shared folders? No worries. Ftp to the rescue.
published: true
description: So, I was kinda working on something when I realized not everyone might know this trick... Simple yet powerful: FTP on the move.
tags: ftp, android, tricks
---

<small>Hello guys! This is my first post. C&C are welcome!</small>

<b>Here's the thing: something our cables fail</b>
Or sometimes we just forget those little squirmy things at the bottom of one of our rarely-used backpacks until god-knows when (when it's time to use them, of course).

<b>Note</b> You should have FileZilla (or your FTP client of choice) and the phone you need the files from connected to the same LAN.

So, how do we get the info out of our phone, without internet connection, no shared folders, and on the move?

I've found out Android actually has this little nice thing called <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.xnano.android.ftpserver">FTP Server</a> by Banana Studio, and it's actually an FTP Android app server which makes uses of a single app (no rooting required) for setting-up a full-fledged FTP server from our Android files, so you can have your own FTP server on the move (I haven't gone into the details of it's inner workings and it's limitations, but it does the job for what I needed it).

<b>TLDR;</b> You probably know what to do at this point (FTP server + Tethering + Filezilla); if not, keep reading.

So, how do we transfer the juicy lovely information from our device to our PC, without wires and no shared folder?, one word: FTP (yes, I've said FTP Server a lot, but I love how easy this thing is). Lets go with it:

1. We turn on the <a href="https://support.google.com/android/answer/9059108?hl=en-GB">tethering</a> and connect our device to it. If your device doesn't support tethering, don't worry; you can connect it to the same WiFi network as your PC.
2. We open our FTP client on our PC and FTP Server on our device.
3. We configure a user to access our FTP Server, by clicking on Users lower tab, and hitting "Add User" button (which is actually a profile+ icon). We will also configure our Access Paths (folders where will the user be able to read and write) by clicking "Add New". We hit "Ok" and we're done.
4. We go back to Home tab, and proceed to hit Start. It will boot up the server, and after that, we'll be able to get connected via our FTP Client and access our files.
5. ...? Profit.

When you're done transferring files, just hit the "Stop" button on your app, and you're done. It has a lot of other functionalities, like running on the background and start on phone's boot, but honestly, if you happen to be in a hurry, just hit it up and you'll have a fully working FTP server on the go (no internet required).

Hope you guys have this in mind next time you're on the road! Just another alternative to setting up a shared folder or the PC you're using or having a cable. Naturally, this can be paired with development projects and other backup mechanisms! So keep it in mind if you didn't know this trick before.

Happy coding!