FTP / SFTP / FTPS Connection

The file transfer protocol connections enable automations to upload, download, list, and manage files on remote servers. Three protocol variants are supported, each with its own connection type. They are used by the plugin-ftp and plugin-sftp plugins, which delegate to the ftp-connector and sftp-connector respectively.

Connection Types

Protocol	Type Enum	Type ID	Entity Class	Description
FTP	FTP	ftp	FTPConnectionDetails	Plain File Transfer Protocol. Credentials sent in cleartext.
SFTP	SFTP	sftp	SFTPConnectionDetails	SSH File Transfer Protocol. Encrypted channel over SSH.
FTPS	FTPS	ftps	--	FTP over TLS/SSL. FTP protocol with encryption layer.

All three share the Protocol category.

FTP Mandatory Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
host	String	Yes	FTP server hostname or IP address.
port	String	Yes	FTP server port. Standard: 21.
username	String	Yes	FTP login username.
password	String	Yes	FTP login password. Encrypted at rest.

FTP Advanced Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
passiveMode	String	No	Set to true to use passive mode (recommended when crossing firewalls/NAT). Defaults to true.
timeout	String	No	Connection timeout in milliseconds.

SFTP Mandatory Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
host	String	Yes	SFTP server hostname or IP address.
port	String	Yes	SFTP server port. Standard: 22.
username	String	Yes	SSH/SFTP login username.
password	String	Yes	SSH/SFTP login password. Encrypted at rest. Alternatively, key-based auth can be configured in advanced fields.

SFTP Advanced Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
passiveMode	String	No	Not applicable to SFTP (SFTP runs over SSH and does not have an active/passive mode concept), but retained for configuration compatibility.
privateKey	String	No	PEM-encoded private key for key-based authentication as an alternative to password. Encrypted at rest.
passphrase	String	No	Passphrase for the private key if it is encrypted. Encrypted at rest.
strictHostKeyChecking	String	No	Set to yes or no to control SSH host key verification.

SFTP Bastion Host / Jump Server Fields

When the SFTP server is only reachable through a bastion host (jump server), enable useBastionHost and provide the bastion's connection details. The connector opens an SSH session to the bastion first, then tunnels through it to reach the SFTP host. These fields apply to SFTP only — FTP and FTPS do not support them.

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
useBastionHost	Checkbox	No	false	Connect to the SFTP server through a bastion host. When enabled, the fields below apply.
bastionHost	Variable	Conditional	--	Hostname or IP address of the bastion / jump server. Required when useBastionHost is enabled.
bastionPort	Number	Conditional	22	SSH port on the bastion host. Required when useBastionHost is enabled.
bastionUsername	String	Conditional	--	SSH login username on the bastion host. Required when useBastionHost is enabled.
bastionAuthMethod	Dropdown	Conditional	password	How to authenticate to the bastion. One of password or privateKey. Defaults to password for SFTP. Required when useBastionHost is enabled.
bastionPassword	Password	Conditional	--	Password for the bastion user. Required when bastionAuthMethod is password. Encrypted at rest.
bastionPrivateKey	Stored-file dropdown	Conditional	--	Private key for the bastion, selected from a File uploaded to Global Configurator. Required when bastionAuthMethod is privateKey.

note

For SFTP, bastionAuthMethod defaults to password. When you use privateKey instead, upload the key under Files and select it in bastionPrivateKey rather than pasting it inline.

FTPS Mandatory Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
host	String	Yes	FTPS server hostname or IP address.
port	String	Yes	Server port. 990 for implicit FTPS, 21 for explicit FTPS.
username	String	Yes	FTPS login username.
password	String	Yes	FTPS login password. Encrypted at rest.

FTPS Advanced Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
implicit	String	No	Set to true for implicit FTPS (port 990, TLS from the start). Set to false for explicit FTPS (port 21, AUTH TLS command). Defaults to false (explicit).
passiveMode	String	No	Set to true to use passive mode. Defaults to true.
trustAllCertificates	String	No	Set to true to skip server certificate validation. Not recommended for production.

Protocol Comparison

Feature	FTP	SFTP	FTPS
Encryption	None	Full (SSH)	TLS/SSL
Default port	21	22	990 (implicit) / 21 (explicit)
Firewall friendliness	Poor (active mode)	Good (single port)	Moderate
Key-based auth	No	Yes	No (certificate-based)
Underlying protocol	FTP	SSH	FTP + TLS

tip

Prefer SFTP when possible. It provides encryption, uses a single port (firewall-friendly), and supports key-based authentication. Use FTP only for legacy systems that do not support SFTP or FTPS.

Friendly Example

What you enter	Example
Connection name	Partner SFTP - Daily Files
Used for	Picking up files from a partner folder and sending processed files back
Main details to collect	Server address, port, username, password or key, and folder path
Best person to provide it	Partner technical contact or file transfer admin

After it is saved, workflow builders select Partner SFTP - Daily Files in a node instead of entering these details again.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely Cause
Connection refused on port 21 or 22	Service not running, or firewall blocking the port
530 Login authentication failed	Wrong username or password
Timeout during file listing (FTP)	Active mode is being used behind a NAT/firewall. Switch to passive mode.
Host key verification failed (SFTP)	Server host key changed or strictHostKeyChecking is yes without a known host entry
SSL handshake failure (FTPS)	Certificate mismatch, or explicit vs. implicit mode misconfigured