This is a method where users are given direct access to the files stored in their web hosting account on a server, without the requirement to identify themselves to the server. There is no username / password prompts in this case. This eliminates the need to create separate FTP accounts for several users. This may be useful if you have files that you wish should be publicly available to download. The default anonymous directory is usually public_ftp.

However, anonymous FTP is a double-edged sword. It is very easy to exploit a server and malign the contents using anonymous FTP access.