FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
java version "1.4.0"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.0-b92)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.4.0-b92, mixed mode)

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :

I request that Java include classes to support FTP in its public API. This support should include something similar to what is currently available in ORO NetComponents (http://www.savarese.org/). There is an obvious need for this functionality in the Java community, and we have been waiting for this for quite some time. If you don't believe me see bug id: 4049732, or do a search for "ftp" through all of the Sun Java forums, etc. and see what pops up. Now factor in that most people probably just go straight to sourceforge or NetComponents and never post anything on this site.

Personally our company has has a need for a FTP utils API to get lists of files on an FTP server and to move files, etc. via FTP. We've been using ORO NetComponents, but its design needs much improvement. If FTP and other mainstream internet protocols were part of Sun's (public) Java API, I would think that more developers would be interested it Java.

Please don't just close this "bug" like you did for bug id: 4049732. There should be some way for users to vote for it, so that Sun can see how important this is to our community. Also, we're looking for feedback as to what version of Java this functionality will be incorporated into.

CUSTOMER WORKAROUND :
Use ORO NetComponents or some other FTP utils, although none are as  customer  as would be a public Sun Java API for FTP and other internet protocols besides just HTTP.
(Review ID: 144015) 
======================================================================

The ftp protocol handler underlying URLConnection already has support
for RFC 1738 so it's possible to encode the ftp commands in the URL
as specified in the RFC. For example type=d indicates a directory
listing.

  xxxxx@xxxxx   2002-04-04

Such an API is already present, to an extent, in the form of URL & URLConnection. One can do many FTP operations, like getting a file, listing files in a directory or puting a file,  using the proper URL form.
It would somewhat useful, albeit marginaly, to have a more flexible and specific API in the future, but this should be considered low priority.

jean-  xxxxx@xxxxx   2002-11-26

See also Forum about FTP API :
http://forum.java.sun.com/thread.jsp?thread=217004&forum=54&message=752443
Jean-Pierre Norguet

The Java FTP API Standardization project aims to organize a 
consortium of users and developers in order to introduce such 
a Request For Enhancement (RFE) as a Java Specification 
Request (JSR) in the Sun Java Community Process.

Here is the Java FTP API Standardization project homepage :
http://wasa.ulb.ac.be/thesis/ftp/Java_API.html

Please feel free to join and help.

JavaWorld published an article about this topic. It is 
called "Java FTP client libraries reviewed" and it can be found 
here :
http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-04-2003/jw-0404-
ftp.html

Best regards
Jean-Pierre Norguet

-- 
Jean-Pierre Norguet
JavaWorld Press
http://wasa.ulb.ac.be/jp.html

Although our company has not yet needed an FTP API, I'm 
sure that there will be the need in the future, and an FTP API 
like JavaMail will be really usefull at that time. I believe that 
the internet-oriented nature of JAVA creates that need itself.

A standardized API for FTP is a definite requirement. Currently 
we are using a custom Java code to accomplish this, but this 
is not a preferred approach. 
FTP alongwith HTTP is the most widely used message transfer 
protocol being used on internet and a standard API for the 
same (similar to the HTTP API) from SUN would be of 
tremendous help for the developer community

Yes I have been waiting for this functionality forever. FTP 
over SSL is becoming a norm now and there is a need for a 
FTP API in Java.

I fully concur with Jean-Pierre Norguet.  While it is great
that there are a plethora of FTP utilities available, it is
often difficult to persuade management to allow use of a
proprietary or even open source tool.  Furthermore one area
where it seems Microsoft .NET platform exceeds Java is in
integration.  It should not be as ridiculously complex as it
is to use something as fundamental (nowadays) as a
validating parser as it used to be.  This is corrected now
that Xerces is used for JAXP 1.2, and is included with the
newer versions of the JDK.  

Finally we now also have XML mapping tools (JAXB), but
Castor has been around for 3 years.    The same should be
true for FTP.

Thanks to Jean-Pierre for his excellent JavaWorld article
and for highlighting this deficiency.

I disagree with the "low priority" evaluation. FTP is one of
the few truly cross-platform protocols, and making it easier
to use in java programs would give the platform a huge boost.

I want to studies java connect FTP from your code

gogo

I'm going in the same way than Jean:  if we compare JAVA platform to .NET or  PHP, JAVA  need to offre a clean Java Api for FTP, working as JavaMail with third party providers.

A more generic Filesystem API would be also benefical, similar to the Netbeans openide filesystems API; these could lead to multiple protocols support: FTP, HTTP, CVS, etc. for different kind of repositories: local or remote.

This is an ever needed protocol. Moreover the API must also have APIs for secure Ftp.

I support this project.  Please add features for automatically resuming a transmission after the connection has been interrupted.

Thank you

Sergio

I support This project. Please include features to automatically reconnect after a connection has been interrupted.

Thank you

Sergio

I support This project. 

Yong Hwan

A definite must. Be careful you don't reinvent the wheel. Jakarta commons net has done a lot of the work already (http://jakarta.apache.org/commons/net)

pls

pls

when?

A standard FTP java api is greatly needed. The inclusion of SSL socket support in api is absolutely essential.

Thank you. 

A standard API for FTP is a must. We have mail, http, jdbc, etc powerfull interfaces. But FTP API is not enough for current needs. Like others said, features like SSL, resume, remote server mirroring, and so on are new features that almost all developers use anytime. Please give us that API. 

I support this project

URL-based FTP is not enough (how do you PUT with that?).
We had the need for FTP in Java projects several times.

I need to use a standard FTP API in my Java projects.

Thank you
Fabio

I support this project. I guess there is a high degree of requirement for the FTP API. There are many applications being developed and will require FTP operations. It would be wonderful to have a it within the Java API's rather than looking out for some Third Party software. Though we have Commons Net, there many more features to be included, which are currently left out.

We had the same problem some time ago - even ORO NetComponents did not help, as we needed to access an S/390 mainframe directly on its TSO session and needed to do very specific work there.

A public, very open and extensible FTP API would be best.

We finally ended up in writing our own FTP client, which works fine, but can never be as good as a standard API.

I welcome this proposal for a public API for ftp

i welcome this proposal for public api for FTP

I support this project

Walter

I also support and emphatically agree that there must be an FTP API.  In a (financial) enterprise type of environment, it is nearly impossible to justify incorporating non-Java code into a release, Standards committees shoot down most freeware utilization on the spot.

A fully-featured FTP API is essential, especially when one's enterprise environment encapsulates not only Win & *nix, but mainframes as well (which, for example, require a number of 'quote' commands be sent to arrange record length, etc, before a PUT can work).

Whoops.. make that "and Standards committees shoot down most freeware utilization on the spot."

I support this too!

I support this project.  I especially wish the SSL connection and certificate management aspect under FTPS to be standardized as to ease the implementation and usefulness of the Java API with its current inclusion of JSSE standards.

The FTP support for Java should be furder excended not just for the client api but at the server side too. Just like HttpServlet there should be FtpServlet that should be supported by all web servers in order to process FTP requests and not force developer to use proprietary apis to make a FTP server just to handle some FTP requests

Sun, the original proposal was in 2002???
Why so long to make your ftp API public???
-
Anil Philip

It's really high time that Sun should initiated the effort of coming up with its own public api for the FTP especially with SSL. I support this project.

A new article about Java and FTP has been published here:
http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-03-2006/jw-0306-ftp.html
Sun, what about integrating one of the open libraries like Jakarta's into the JDK?
Or at least defining a common interface third-party libraries can implement?
This would help standardization of the Java platform.

I need a standard FTP API that keeps one control connection open i.e. doesn't log in every time I list a directory or access a file. Unless I missed something, that's not possible with the standard URL scheme.

I rolled my own java FTP client years ago, but I could use a SFTP client.  I have used JCraft's, but it doesn't work with some sftp servers.

What we need is a modern API utilizing generics, progress callback etc

patrick_pat@126.com

I too rolled my own simple FTP client class (at http://david.tribble.com/src/java/#tribble.net.ftp as open source). But it would be nice to see this functionality as part of the standard JRE library.

This should be closed. No one needs to roll their own. Just use the Apache commons if needed. Or roll their own using URLConnection.

SFTP and SCP would be nice.

A SSL over FTP implementation is absolutely needed and is NOT a low priority.

Definitely something a lot of people are going to need at some point or another.

Java can't claim to be "the programming language of choice" for the internet when it doesn't have a decent standard FTP library.  Heck, even Perl does.  As others have said, given that SSH has become more common for file transfer, this should be incorporated too.

YES please add support for SSH/SFTP and FTP
to get rid of this odd thirdparty libraries for just doing basic things ...


regards chris 

If you do decide to work on this, go for the whole chebang. FTP, SFTP (explicit and implicit) and SSH while you are at it.