Use ftp in shell scripts with password in .netrc

ftp can be used in shell scripts by specifying the ftp password in a .netrc file.

On the source server create/edit this file:
$ vi $HOME/.netrc

Add in a line with the username password details:
machine targetservername login targetusername password targetpassword

Make that file secure (the ftp actually fails if you don’t):
$ chmod 600 $HOME/.netrc

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