ftp_exec() function in PHP

The ftp_exec() function is used to execute a command on the FTP server. This function is useful when you need to run server-side commands remotely through an FTP connection.

Syntax

ftp_exec(connection, command)

Parameters

• connection − Required. The FTP connection resource created by ftp_connect()

• command − Required. The command string to execute on the FTP server

Return Value

The ftp_exec() function returns TRUE if the command was executed successfully, otherwise FALSE on failure.

Example

The following example demonstrates how to execute a command on an FTP server ?

<?php
    $ftp_server = "192.168.0.4";
    $ftp_user = "amit";
    $ftp_pass = "tywg61gh";
    
    // Connect to FTP server
    $connection = ftp_connect($ftp_server) or die("Could not connect to $ftp_server");
    
    // Login to FTP server
    $login = ftp_login($connection, $ftp_user, $ftp_pass);
    
    if (!$login) {
        die("FTP login failed!");
    }
    
    // Command to list files
    $command = 'ls -la';
    
    // Execute command
    if (ftp_exec($connection, $command)) {
        echo "Command '$command' executed successfully!";
    } else {
        echo "Command execution failed!";
    }
    
    // Close FTP connection
    ftp_close($connection);
?>

Command 'ls -la' executed successfully!

Key Points

• The function only returns success/failure status, not the actual command output
• Not all FTP servers support command execution − it depends on server configuration
• Always establish a proper FTP connection and login before using ftp_exec()
• Common commands include file operations like ls, pwd, or chmod

Conclusion

The ftp_exec() function provides a way to execute server-side commands through FTP connections. While it only returns execution status, it's useful for remote file management tasks when the FTP server supports command execution.