tutlogger: Create an FTP Server Application on VB.Net

The commonly used method most people know to transfer or share files over the internet, which most websites use, is through HTTP or (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol). If your are doing the same method, I am here to suggest an alternative, and that is to use a special protocol called FTP or (File Transfer Protocol). It is a protocol designed for the process of transferring files from one computer to another over the Internet without interruptions. You can use this method when you want to upload or download files from remote locations in your computer anywhere you are at any time. But be sure to have an internet connection from your server before you could do the process.

In this tutorial, I will discuss how to create an FTP Server Application on VB.Net. It will include an upload and download file.You can also view your actual FTP server window in a web browser component and be able to delete or rename files.

Here are the steps to make an FTP Server Application.

Step 1. Download FileZilla Server Application and install it on your computer.

Step 2. Setup your FileZilla FTP Server. If you have no idea on how to do it, watch this video I found on YouTube.

Step 3. After setting up your FTP Server, create a new VB project on Visual Studio and make a form design like this.

Step 4. I will not discuss all the codes involved in this project application. I will concentrate on how to LOAD, UPLOAD and DOWNLOAD file/s only. Don't worry because I have provided a download link of the complete working project at the end of this tutorial. Now let's see the codes.

*LOAD File/s from FTP Server

Private Sub btn_load_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btn_load.Click
Try
Me.Cursor = Cursors.WaitCursor
If txtserveraddress.Text = Nothing Then
MessageBox.Show("Enter FTP Server address.", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
txtserveraddress.Focus()
ElseIf txtserverusername.Text = Nothing Then
MessageBox.Show("Enter FTP Server username", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
txtserverusername.Focus()
ElseIf txtserverpassword.Text = Nothing Then
MessageBox.Show("Enter FTP Server password", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
txtserverpassword.Focus()
Else
'Create an FTP web request
Dim ftpwebrequest As FtpWebRequest = DirectCast(WebRequest.Create("ftp://" & txtserveraddress.Text & ":21/"), FtpWebRequest)
'Set properties
With ftpwebrequest
'ftp server username and password
.Credentials = New NetworkCredential(txtserverusername.Text, txtserverpassword.Text)
'set the method to download
.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.ListDirectory
'upload timeout to 100 seconds
.Timeout = "100000"
End With

Dim ftpwebres As FtpWebResponse = CType(ftpwebrequest.GetResponse(), FtpWebResponse)
Dim ftpstreamreader As StreamReader = New StreamReader(ftpwebres.GetResponseStream())
'clear list of files
lstfiles.Items.Clear()
'start loading files from an FTP server into list
While (ftpstreamreader.Peek() > -1)
lstfiles.Items.Add(ftpstreamreader.ReadLine())
End While
End If
Me.Cursor = Cursors.Default
Catch ex As Exception
Me.Cursor = Cursors.Default
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
End Try

End Sub

*UPLOAD a File to FTP Server

Private Sub btn_upload_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btn_upload.Click
Try
Me.Cursor = Cursors.WaitCursor
If txtserveraddress.Text = Nothing Then
MessageBox.Show("Enter FTP Server address.", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
txtserveraddress.Focus()
ElseIf txtserverusername.Text = Nothing Then
MessageBox.Show("Enter FTP Server username", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
txtserverusername.Focus()
ElseIf txtserverpassword.Text = Nothing Then
MessageBox.Show("Enter FTP Server password", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
txtserverpassword.Focus()
Else
'Create an FTP web request
Dim ftpwebrequest As FtpWebRequest = DirectCast(WebRequest.Create("ftp://" & txtserveraddress.Text & ":21/" & get_filesafename.ToString), FtpWebRequest)
'Set properties
With ftpwebrequest
.Credentials = New NetworkCredential(txtserverusername.Text, txtserverpassword.Text)
'set the method to upload
.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.UploadFile
'upload timeout to 100 seconds
.Timeout = "100000"
'data transfer type
.UseBinary = True
'size of the file to upload
.ContentLength = get_filename.Length
End With

Dim ufile() As Byte = File.ReadAllBytes(get_filename.ToString)

Dim ftpwebstreamrequest As Stream = ftpwebrequest.GetRequestStream()
'start streaming upload
ftpwebstreamrequest.Write(ufile, 0, ufile.Length)
'close and dispose file and request stream after the upload
ftpwebstreamrequest.Close()
ftpwebstreamrequest.Dispose()
'refresh web browser list
tsbRefresh.PerformClick()
Me.Cursor = Cursors.Default
MessageBox.Show("Upload completed", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
End If
Catch ex As Exception
Me.Cursor = Cursors.Default
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
End Try
End Sub

*DOWNLOAD a File from FTP Server

Private Sub btn_download_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btn_download.Click
Try
Me.Cursor = Cursors.WaitCursor
Dim savefildlg As SaveFileDialog = New SaveFileDialog
If txtserveraddress.Text = Nothing Then
MessageBox.Show("Enter FTP Server address.", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
txtserveraddress.Focus()
ElseIf txtserverusername.Text = Nothing Then
MessageBox.Show("Enter FTP Server username", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
txtserverusername.Focus()
ElseIf txtserverpassword.Text = Nothing Then
MessageBox.Show("Enter FTP Server password", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
txtserverpassword.Focus()
Else
'Create a FTP web request
Dim ftpwebrequest As FtpWebRequest = DirectCast(WebRequest.Create("ftp://" & txtserveraddress.Text & ":21/" & txtdownloadfile.Text), FtpWebRequest)
'Set properties
With ftpwebrequest
'ftp server username and password
.Credentials = New NetworkCredential(txtserverusername.Text, txtserverpassword.Text)
'set the method to download
.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.DownloadFile
'upload timeout to 100 seconds
.Timeout = "100000"
End With

Dim ftpwebres As FtpWebResponse = CType(ftpwebrequest.GetResponse(), FtpWebResponse)
Dim ftpstream As Stream = ftpwebres.GetResponseStream()

With savefildlg
.Title = "Save File Download from FTP Server"
.FileName = Path.GetFullPath(ftpwebrequest.RequestUri.LocalPath)
'set type of files
.Filter = "File Formats(*.jpg;*.jpeg;*.txt;*.doc;*.docx;*.zip;*.rar)|*.jpg;*.jpeg;*.txt;*.doc;*.docx;*.zip;*.rar|Image File(*.jpg;*.jpeg)|*.jpg;*.jpeg|Text File(*.txt)|*.txt|Documents(*.dic;*.docx)|*.doc;*.docx|Compressed Files(*.zip;*.rar)|*.zip;*.rar"
End With

'start streaming download
If savefildlg.ShowDialog = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
Dim ftpfilestream As FileStream = File.Create(savefildlg.FileName)
Dim buff(1024) As Byte
Dim bytesread As Integer = 0
While True
bytesread = ftpstream.Read(buff, 0, buff.Length)
If (bytesread = 0) Then Exit While
ftpfilestream.Write(buff, 0, bytesread)
End While
End If
Me.Cursor = Cursors.Default
MessageBox.Show("Download completed", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
End If
Catch ex As Exception
Me.Cursor = Cursors.Default
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
End Try
End Sub

***NOTE: In this line of code "ftp://" & txtserveraddress.Text & ":21/", the number 21 in color red is the default port number of FileZilla FTP Server. You can find that value under Edit > Settings >> General Settings.

Try to make an application like this if you consider it useful.

Download complete working project below.

IDE: Visual Studio 2012
Project Type: Visual Basic Windows
Database: No Database