Send your FTP client packing with FireFTP

There are Firefox plug-ins for just about every task imaginable. There's one to tell you how many e-mails you've got waiting to be read, and another that gives weather forecasts. You can change how the browser functions, you can manage your music players, and with FireFTP, you can transfer files using a top-notch FTP client.

FireFTP has all the major tools that you would expect a stand-alone FTP client to provide. It can handle multiple accounts and remember different logins, passwords, and connection settings for each. It supports authenticated TSL, authenticated SSL, and implicit SSL for secure transfers, drag-and-drop, and CHMOD changes.

FireFTP creates an FTP client directly in your Firefox window.

(Credit: CNET Networks, Inc.)

The plug-in works across platforms, lets users import and export account settings, and supports directory comparisons and synchronization, time-stamp synching, file hashes, and auto-reconnect. As far as FTP client features go, there's nothing lacking here.

Setting up the program is as easy as using it. It's accessible from Tools in the menu bar, or you can add a FireFTP icon to the toolbar via Customization. You can also set the program to open in a new window or in a new tab, and it ran conflict-free with other major Firefox extensions like Tab Mix Plus, AdBlock Plus, or FoxyTunes.

FireFTP's Options gives users all the power of a stand-alone FTP client.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Most surprisingly, it didn't cause any system sluggishness or freezes, nor did it instigate a massive memory leak of the kind that Firefox has become known for. There are, however, a few drawbacks. Windows Vista support has been spotty, and due to Firefox limitations, the application can't transfer files larger than 4GB, nor can it access network folders. Proxy support works for some, but not others.

Despite these problems, the plug-in was stable, easy to use and provided enough advanced features to make it worth coming back to.