Transfer protocols are mechanisms for moving files and information from a source to one or more destinations. Two of the more popular protocols are the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). ColdFusion has the cfhttp and cfftp tags that let you use these protocols to interact with remote servers.

The cfhttp tag lets you receive a web page or web-based file, just as a web browser uses HTTP to transport web pages. When you type a URL into a web browser, you make an HTTP request to a web server. With the cfhttp tag, you can display a web page, send variables to a ColdFusion or CGI application, retrieve specialized content from a web page, and create a ColdFusion query from a text file. You can use the Get or Post methods to interact with remote servers.

The cfftp tag takes advantage of FTP's main purpose--transporting files. Unlike HTTP, FTP was not designed to interact with other servers for processing and interacting with data. After you establish an FTP connection with the cfhttp tag, you can use it to upload, download, and manage files and directories.