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“Upload” and “download” refer to transferring electronic data. Uploads are from a device to a central server, while downloads are from a server to a peripheral device. They can be done over the internet and depend on file size and connection quality.
“Upload” and “download” are terms used to refer to types of electronic data transfers. The difference between them is the direction in which the files are transferred. Files are considered uploaded when they are transferred from a computer or other electronic device to a central server, and download is when files are transferred from a server to a smaller peripheral unit, such as a computer, smartphone or other device. These two different types of transfer are often done over the Internet, such as when a file is downloaded from a website. Transferring data from one system or device to a similar system or device, such as from a desktop computer to a laptop, usually not considered upload or download.
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The most common type of upload is when a user uploads a digital file to an Internet site. For example, a user could upload vacation photos to a social networking website or a home video to a video sharing site. The uploaded files are then stored on the website’s servers and can be viewed by anyone with internet access and, if necessary, the right software to view it.
Other websites allow users to upload digital files for archiving. This can allow users to store more files or files that are larger than would be possible to store on their computer or device due to its limited storage capacity. Uploading files to storage websites also allows other users or other devices to access them. Permission to access files could only be granted to certain people, or files could be made public for anyone to access.
Another type of upload occurs within a closed computer system, such as one within a single office building or one that connects a group of companies. These types of systems typically have servers to store information that needs to be shared among multiple computers or devices. Digital files can be uploaded from any computer or device connected to the system, then can be downloaded or accessed by any other user on the system.
Download
Whenever electronic files or information is transferred from a central system to a computer or device connected to that system, it is considered a download. Files can be downloaded temporarily and then deleted after being used once, or they can be downloaded on a more permanent basis and used over an extended period of time. For example, a funny video file might be downloaded from the Internet and deleted immediately after being watched, but a useful application might be downloaded and used for months or years.
Downloaded files are sometimes automatically stored in a particular location on your computer or device and can be automatically accessed from that location when needed. An example of this is an application that is downloaded to a smartphone – the user typically cannot control where the app is stored on the phone, it is simply stored where the phone stores all of its apps. In other cases, the user can choose where the downloaded files will be stored. For example, a laptop user might download a music file to a specific music or other file type folder on their computer desktop, where it can be found quickly.
Speed
The time it takes to upload or download a file depends on several factors. The main factor is the digital size of the file, measured in bytes. The larger the file, the longer it will take to transfer the information in it.
The quality of the connection from the internet or central server to the smaller computer or device also makes a difference in transfer speed. A computer that has a high-speed Internet connection will be able to download or upload a file much faster than a computer that has a low-speed connection. Also, the speed of the server where the file is stored can affect upload or download times.
Background operations
Uploads and downloads happen frequently, often without the user being aware that they are doing so. For example, incoming email is downloaded from a server and outgoing email is uploaded for sending. The source code of a web page is downloaded to the user’s computer so that he can view its content. Whenever a computer or device is connected to the Internet or some other larger system, files are often transferred back and forth, uploaded and downloaded, in the normal course of use.
