Recursively fetch files from an FTP server directory. Here, it's downloading all the zip files found in or beneath the parent directory.

cRecurseFtp.py

#!/usr/bin/env python
 
from ftplib import FTP
import os
    
class cRecursive:
    my_dirs = []  # global
    my_files = [] # global
    all_dirs = [] # global
    curdir = ''   # global
    ftp = None
    
    def _getDirs(self, ln):
        cols = ln.split(' ')
        objname = cols[len(cols)-1] # file or directory name
        if ln.startswith('d'):
            self.my_dirs.append(objname)
        else:
            self.my_files.append(os.path.join(self.curdir, objname)) # full path
    
    def _checkDirs(self, adir, f):
        self.my_dirs = []
        gotdirs = [] 
        self.curdir = ftp.pwd()
        print "going to change to directory " + adir + " from " + self.curdir
        f.cwd(adir)
        self.curdir = f.pwd()
        print "now in directory: " + self.curdir
        f.retrlines('LIST', self._getDirs)
        gotdirs = self.my_dirs
        self.all_dirs.append(self.curdir)
        for subdir in gotdirs:
            self.my_dirs = []
            self._checkDirs(subdir, ftp) # recurse
    
        f.cwd('..') # back up a directory when done here
    
    def _listFiles(self, origin, f):
        self._checkDirs(origin, f) # directory to start in
        f.cwd(origin) # change to root directory for idownloading

    def _createDirs(self, dest):
        ### Create Dirs ###
        for dirname in self.all_dirs:
            localdir = "%s/%s" % (dest, dirname)
            print 'create dir: ' + localdir
            if not os.path.isdir(localdir):
                os.makedirs(localdir)
        ###################
    
    def _createFiles0(self, ftp, dest):
        for filename in self.my_files:
            localfile = "%s%s" % (dest, filename)
            fileObj = open(localfile, 'wb')
            print 'getting ' + filename +  ' in ' + dest
            f.retrbinary('RETR ' + filename, fileObj.write)
    
    def _createFiles(self, f, dest):
        for filename in self.my_files:
 	    try:
                print ("\t* Copying file %s into dir %s" % (filename, dest))
                localfile = "%s/%s" % (dest, filename)
                print("Copy to {0}".format(localfile))
                fileObj = open(localfile, 'wb')
                f.retrbinary('RETR ' + filename, fileObj.write)
                fileObj.close()
            except Exception as e:
                print("Unable to get file %s : %s" % (filename, e))
    
try:
    destination = "<YOUR_DESTINATION_DIR>"
    origin = "<FTP_ROOT_PATH>"
    ftp = FTP('FTP_IP')
    ftp.login("FTP_USER", "FTP_PASSWORD")
    ftpRecursive = cRecursive()
    ftpRecursive._checkDirs(origin, ftp) # directory to start in
    ftpRecursive._createDirs(destination)
    ftpRecursive._createFiles(ftp, destination)
    ftp.cwd(origin) # change to root directory for idownloading
    ftp.quit()
except Exception as error:
    print 'Error: %s' % error
    ftp.quit()