LFTP: Linux Command and Unix Command

Like a Swiss Army knife of file transfers, the lftp program for Linux supports data exchange using protocols, including FTP, SFTP, and torrent. It's a small shell program that, although generally not installed by default, offers a ton of functionality.

About 'lftp'

This program, developed by Alexander Lukyanov and distributed under the GNU Public License, presents a unified front end for the FTP, SFTP, FXP, HTTP, FISH, and BitTorrent transfer protocols. It offers some advanced features, including parallel transfers, bookmarks, sophisticated job control, and extended built-in commands to mirror local and remote directories. It partially supports WebDAV.

It's been continuously maintained since the 1990s. The 4.9.0 series of the program released in late December 2019.

Using 'lftp'

Invoke lftp from a shell prompt. When the program enters the foreground, the prompt changes. Run commands, as necessary. Syntax generally mirrors the standard syntax for the relevant protocol.

Because lftp supports extended command-line arguments that perform complex functions, this utility is an excellent candidate for shell scripts. It's best, however, for people familiar with shell interaction for the underlying protocols, because the syntax is unforgiving to the inexperienced.