In networks, uploading and downloading
refer to the two canonical directions (corresponding to send and receive
, respectively) that information can move, and further defines such data as being copied and compiled (indicated by the term "loading") to create a complete file, after a period of time. Downloading is distinguished from the related concept of streaming
, which indicates a download in which the data is sequentially usable as it downloads, or "streams", and that (typically) the data is not stored.
To download
is to receive data to a local system from a remote system, such as a webserver, FTP server, email server, or other similar systems. A download
is any file that is offered for downloading or that has been downloaded.
The inverse operation, uploading
, is the sending of data from a local system to a remote system, such as a server, or peer, with the intent that the remote system should save a copy of whatever is being transferred.
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DOWNLOAD TICKETS
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Download
The word's primary usage comes in the form of a verb. Increasingly, websites that offer streaming media or media displayed in-browser, such as
YouTube, and which place restrictions on the ability of users to save these materials to their computers after they have been received, say that
downloading
is not permitted.
[1] In this context, "download" implies specifically "receive and save" instead of simply "receive".
Downloads
Sideload
When applied to local transfers (sending data from one local system to another local system), it is often difficult to decide if it is an upload or download, as both source and destination are in the local control of the user. Technically if the user uses the receiving device to initiate the transfer then it would be a download and if they used the sending device to initiate it would be an upload. However, as most non-technical users tend to use the term download to refer to any data transfer, the term "
sideload" is increasingly being used to cover all local to local transfers to end this confusion.
Remote upload
When there is a transfer of data from a remote system to another remote system, the process is called "remote uploading". This is used by some online
file hosting services.
Remote uploading is also used in situations where the computers that need to share data are located on a distant high speed
local area network, and the remote control is being performed using a comparatively slow
dialup modem connection.
For example:
- The user remotely accesses a file hosting service at MyRemoteHost.
- The user finds a public file at PublicRemoteHost and wants to keep a copy in their MyRemoteHost.
- To have it done they "remote upload" the file from PublicRemoteHost to MyRemoteHost.
- None of the hosts are located on the user's the local network.
Without remote uploading functionality, the user would be required to download the file first to their local host and then re-upload it to the remote file hosting server.
Where the connection to the remote computers is via a dialup connection, the transfer time required to download locally and then re-upload could increase from seconds, to hours or days.
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See also
Look up uploading
, downloading
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- BitTorrent (protocol)
- Digital Pack Rat
- Download manager
- File sharing
- File Transfer Protocol
- Metalink
- Music download
- Peer-to-peer
- MediaFire
- FileREX
References
- YouTube - Terms of Use