Automating file transfers is a staple task for systems administrators. While modern protocols like SFTP are preferred for security, many legacy systems still rely on FTP. PowerShell provides several ways to handle these downloads, ranging from simple one-liners to robust scripts with error handling. 1. Simple One-Liner (WebClient)
For quick, non-recursive downloads where complex error handling isn't a priority, the .NET WebClient class is the most straightforward method. powershell powershell script download file from ftp
Limited control over transfer settings (like SSL/TLS) and no native support for recursive folder downloads. 2. Advanced Method: FtpWebRequest Automating file transfers is a staple task for
$webclient = New-Object System.Net.WebClient $webclient.Credentials = New-Object System.Net.NetworkCredential("user", "password") $webclient.DownloadFile("ftp://ftp.example.com/file.txt", "C:\local\path\file.txt") Use code with caution. Extremely simple to implement. powershell script download file from ftp