The world has become a global village with the advent of the most significant technology, the Internet. The internet has brought the world closer, and the distances have diminished.
Every person has the facility of the internet these days. They can use this technology according to their liking. It has been a great source of education and knowledge for the young generation.
All the users also need to upload and download their files continuously. But does everybody know the difference between these two terms? It can confuse some minds if the difference is not clear to them and can cause some damage to work.
Key Takeaways
- Uploading transfers data from a local computer or device to a remote server, such as uploading a file to a cloud storage service or a website.
- Downloading is retrieving data from a remote server or device to a local computer or device, such as downloading a file from a website or an email attachment.
- The primary distinction between uploading and downloading is the direction of data transfer. Uploading involves sending data from a local device to a remote server, while downloading involves retrieving data from a remote server to a local device.
Upload vs Download
Uploading involves placing files and photos on a web server. files must be uploaded in order for it to be accessible to everyone online. While downloading involves acquiring files, pictures, and web pages from a web server. It makes online material available offline on the respective PC or devices.
For example, if you upload your picture to Facebook, you send data from your device to that website.
Similarly, if you are downloading some movie, you are transferring that data from that website to your device, whether it is your laptop, smartphone or your computer.
The other differences between upload and download are shown in the description table below.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Upload | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Transfer of data from your device to some other location. | Transfer data from some other location to your device. |
| Speed Requirements | Most people do not need a high upload speed. | Most people need a high download speed as compared to an upload speed. |
| Internet Protocols | FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used mostly. | HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is used mostly. |
| Risk of virus | Less risk of the virus when uploading to the server. | More risk of the virus when downloading from the server. |
| Client | It sends the data from the client to the server. | It sends the data from the server to the client. |
| Examples | Sending photos over an email to a friend. | Downloading a movie from some site. |
What is Upload?
Upload means transferring the data from your computer to the internet. Here, the computer is the client, and the internet is the server.
Many times, you ‘upload’ data on the website. For example, sending an email to a friend, uploading a picture on Facebook, and uploading a video on YouTube all require the data to be transferred to another location or website.
Mostly, there is little risk of transferring the virus while you upload something to the website. But if there is a virus already on your computer due to downloading some malicious content, chances are it can also transfer the virus to those files.
You might have noticed how Google scans your files for viruses whenever you are about to send an email with attachments. But still, it does not check for larger file attachments.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is used for uploading data on the internet. A client-server relationship is established, and some credentials are shared.
FTP works on TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), and this protocol does not store data permanently on the server. But both FTP and HTTP can be used for uploading.
The reason why the upload speed is slower than the download speed is that this is the demand of the average user. The bandwidth is divided into upload and download streams. The upload speed loses out because more bandwidth is allocated downstream.
What is Download?
The download means transferring the data from the internet to your computer. Here, the computer is the server, and the internet is the client. Many times, you have to ‘download’ data from the website.
For example, downloading a video, song or book from a website requires transferring data from some website to your computer.
Sometimes, there is a risk of the virus while downloading something from the website. The best practice is to install an anti-virus system on your computer.
The other thing is to always download from trusted sites and avoid those websites that look suspicious. You can always scan the downloaded files from anti-malware software before running them.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is used for downloading data on the internet. A client-server relationship is established, and some credentials are shared.
You see HTTP daily while using the internet because the URL starts with HTTPS when you visit a website. This protocol is also built on TCP. But both FTP and HTTP can be used for downloading.
Users prefer to have a download speed more significant than an upload speed. That is because users average users need to download books, songs, and movies in HD quality. Generally, users are not required to upload something of high quality.
Main Differences Between Upload and Download
The distinct features that differentiate between upload and download are:
- The transfer of data from your device to another location is called uploading, while the transfer of data from another location to your device is called downloading.
- They differ in speed requirements. Most people do not require a high upload speed but rather a high download speed.
- FTP is used chiefly for uploading, while HTTP is mainly used for downloading.
- There is less risk of the virus when data is uploaded to some website, whereas there is a high risk of the virus when data is being downloaded from the internet to your computer.
- Upload sends the data from the client to the server, while download sends the data from the server to the client.
- https://www.lifewire.com/uploading-and-downloading-online-3985950
- https://fetchsoftworks.com/fetch/help/Contents/Tutorial/SlowUploads.html
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
Up = data goes from our computer
Down = data comes to our computer
That is how I remember the difference between the two
Other readers should learn from you about how to remember the difference between terms. Use a portion of the word and try to memorize the difference by using that portion like Up and Down you have used here.