import ftplib import os def download_ftp_folder(ftp, remote_path, local_path): # Ensure local directory exists if not os.path.exists(local_path): os.makedirs(local_path) # Change to the remote directory ftp.cwd(remote_path) # Get list of files/folders filenames = ftp.nlst() for name in filenames: local_filename = os.path.join(local_path, name) try: # Attempt to change into the item (checks if it is a folder) ftp.cwd(name) # If successful, it's a directory; recurse download_ftp_folder(ftp, name, local_filename) # Go back up one level after recursion ftp.cwd("..") except ftplib.error_perm: # If cwd fails, it's a file; download it with open(local_filename, 'wb') as f: ftp.retrbinary(f"RETR {name}", f.write) # Usage ftp_server = ftplib.FTP("://example.com", "user", "password") download_ftp_folder(ftp_server, "/remote/folder", "./local/folder") ftp_server.quit() Use code with caution. 3. Key Considerations for Success Use Binary Mode
If you are stuck with the standard library, the recursive cwd method shown above is the "gold standard" for ftplib . ftplib download folder
Usually means a permission issue or trying to cwd into a file. TimeoutError: The server dropped the connection. Socket errors: Network interruptions. 4. Modern Alternatives Usually means a permission issue or trying to