FTP/SFTP Integration

Superglue provides native support for FTP, FTPS (FTP over SSL/TLS), and SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) servers, allowing you to manage files directly within your workflows without setting up a separate integration.

Connection Protocols

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

Standard unencrypted file transfer:

{
  "urlHost": "ftp://username:password@ftp.example.com:21",
  "urlPath": "/base/path"
}

FTPS (FTP Secure)

FTP over SSL/TLS for encrypted transfers:

{
  "urlHost": "ftps://username:password@ftp.example.com:21",
  "urlPath": "/base/path"
}

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)

Secure file transfer over SSH:

{
  "urlHost": "sftp://username:password@sftp.example.com:22",
  "urlPath": "/base/path"
}

Authentication Methods

1. Password Authentication

Include credentials in the connection URL:

ftp://myuser:mypassword@ftp.example.com:21

2. Using Variables

Use Superglue variables for secure credential management:

sftp://<<integrationId_ftpUser>>:<<integrationId_ftpPassword>>@<<integrationId_ftpHost>>:<<integrationId_ftpPort>>

3. SSH Key Authentication (SFTP only)

For SFTP connections with SSH keys, provide credentials separately:

{
  "urlHost": "sftp://<<integrationId_ftpUser>>:<<integrationId_ftpPassword>>@<<integrationId_ftpHost>>:<<integrationId_ftpPort>>",
  "credentials": {
    "username": "<<integrationId_ftpUser>>",
    "privateKey": "<<integrationId_sshPrivateKey>>",
    "passphrase": "<<integrationId_sshPassphrase>>"
  }
}

Supported Operations

All operations return JSON responses (files are not saved locally).

1. List Directory Contents

List files and directories:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "list",
    "path": "/documents"
  }
}

Response:

[
  {
    "name": "report.pdf",
    "size": 102400,
    "type": "file",
    "modifyTime": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
    "permissions": "rw-r--r--"
  },
  {
    "name": "archives",
    "size": 0,
    "type": "directory",
    "modifyTime": "2024-01-10T08:00:00.000Z",
    "permissions": "rwxr-xr-x"
  }
]

2. Get File Content

Download and return file content:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "get",
    "path": "/data/config.json"
  }
}

Note: JSON files are automatically parsed and returned as objects. Other files return as strings.

3. Upload Content

Upload data to a file:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "put",
    "path": "/uploads/data.txt",
    "content": "File content here"
  }
}

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Uploaded content to /uploads/data.txt",
  "size": 17
}

4. Delete File

Remove a file:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "delete",
    "path": "/temp/old-file.txt"
  }
}

5. Rename/Move File

Rename or move a file:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "rename",
    "path": "/old-name.txt",
    "newPath": "/new-name.txt"
  }
}

6. Create Directory

Create a new directory:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "mkdir",
    "path": "/new-folder"
  }
}

7. Remove Directory

Delete an empty directory:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "rmdir",
    "path": "/empty-folder"
  }
}

8. Check File Existence

Check if a file or directory exists:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "exists",
    "path": "/important-file.txt"
  }
}

Response:

{
  "exists": true,
  "path": "/important-file.txt"
}

9. Get File Statistics

Get detailed file metadata:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "stat",
    "path": "/document.pdf"
  }
}

Response:

{
  "exists": true,
  "path": "/document.pdf",
  "name": "document.pdf",
  "size": 204800,
  "type": "file",
  "modifyTime": "2024-01-15T14:30:00.000Z",
  "permissions": "rw-r--r--"
}

Workflow Examples

Example 1: Download and Process JSON Configuration

// Step configuration
{
  "id": "getConfig",
  "urlHost": "ftp://<<integrationId_ftpUser>>:<<integrationId_ftpPassword>>@ftp.example.com:21",
  "urlPath": "/configs",
  "body": {
    "operation": "get",
    "path": "/production/settings.json"
  },
  "instruction": "Download the production configuration file"
}

// The JSON will be automatically parsed and available as:
// sourceData.getConfig.apiKey
// sourceData.getConfig.endpoints.production

Example 2: Backup Files with Timestamp

{
  "id": "backupFile",
  "urlHost": "sftp://<<integrationId_ftpUser>>:<<integrationId_ftpPassword>>@<<integrationId_ftpHost>>:<<integrationId_ftpPort>>",
  "body": {
    "operation": "rename",
    "path": "/daily-report.csv",
    "newPath": "<<(sourceData) => `/archive/report-${new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0]}.csv`>>"
  },
  "instruction": "Move daily report to archive with date stamp"
}

Example 3: Process Multiple Files in Loop

// Step 1: List files to process
{
  "id": "listFiles",
  "urlHost": "sftp://<<integrationId_ftpUser>>:<<integrationId_ftpPassword>>@<<integrationId_ftpHost>>:<<integrationId_ftpPort>>",
  "body": {
    "operation": "list",
    "path": "/incoming"
  },
  "instruction": "Get list of files to process"
}

// Step 2: Process each file
{
  "id": "processFiles",
  "executionMode": "LOOP",
  "loopSelector": "(sourceData) => sourceData.listFiles.filter(f => f.type === 'file' && f.name.endsWith('.csv'))",
  "urlHost": "sftp://<<integrationId_ftpUser>>:<<integrationId_ftpPassword>>@<<integrationId_ftpHost>>:<<integrationId_ftpPort>>",
  "body": {
    "operation": "get",
    "path": "/incoming/<<currentItem_name>>"
  },
  "instruction": "Download each CSV file for processing"
}

Example 4: Upload Generated Report

{
  "id": "uploadReport",
  "urlHost": "ftps://<<integrationId_ftpUser>>:<<integrationId_ftpPassword>>@<<integrationId_ftpHost>>:<<integrationId_ftpPort>>",
  "urlPath": "/reports",
  "body": {
    "operation": "put",
    "path": "/<<(sourceData) => `${new Date().getFullYear()}/monthly-report.json`>>",
    "content": "<<(sourceData) => JSON.stringify(sourceData.generateReport, null, 2)>>"
  },
  "instruction": "Upload the generated report to the secure FTP server"
}

Example 5: Clean Up Old Files

// Step 1: List all files
{
  "id": "listOldFiles",
  "urlHost": "ftp://<<integrationId_ftpUser>>:<<integrationId_ftpPassword>>@<<integrationId_ftpHost>>:<<integrationId_ftpPort>>",
  "body": {
    "operation": "list",
    "path": "/temp"
  },
  "instruction": "List all files in temp directory"
}

// Step 2: Delete old files
{
  "id": "deleteOldFiles",
  "executionMode": "LOOP",
  "loopSelector": "(sourceData) => {
    const cutoffDate = new Date(Date.now() - 30*24*60*60*1000);
    return sourceData.listOldFiles.filter(f => 
      f.type === 'file' && 
      new Date(f.modifyTime) < cutoffDate
    );
  }",
  "urlHost": "ftp://<<integrationId_ftpUser>>:<<integrationId_ftpPassword>>@<<integrationId_ftpHost>>:<<integrationId_ftpPort>>",
  "body": {
    "operation": "delete",
    "path": "/temp/<<currentItem_name>>"
  },
  "instruction": "Delete files older than 30 days"
}

Common Patterns

1. Directory Synchronization

Check for new files and process them:

// Check if file exists before downloading
{
  "body": {
    "operation": "exists",
    "path": "/daily/<<(sourceData) => sourceData.expectedFileName>>"
  }
}

2. JSON Data Exchange

Upload JSON data from previous steps:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "put",
    "path": "/data/output.json",
    "content": "<<(sourceData) => JSON.stringify({
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      results: sourceData.processedData,
      status: 'complete'
    })>>"
  }
}

3. File Migration

Move files between directories:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "rename",
    "path": "/inbox/<<fileName>>",
    "newPath": "/processed/<<fileName>>"
  }
}

4. Conditional File Operations

Upload only if conditions are met:

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "<<(sourceData) => sourceData.shouldUpload ? 'put' : 'exists'>>",
    "path": "/reports/latest.csv",
    "content": "<<(sourceData) => sourceData.shouldUpload ? sourceData.reportContent : undefined>>"
  }
}

Error Handling

The FTP/SFTP integration includes automatic retry logic and detailed error messages:

Common Errors and Solutions

“Missing ‘operation’ field in request body”
- Ensure your body includes an operation field
“Unsupported operation: ‘download’”
- Use ‘get’ instead. Supported operations: list, get, put, delete, rename, mkdir, rmdir, exists, stat
“path required for get operation”
- The operation requires a path field in the body
“Connection refused”
- Verify the server address, port, and that the FTP/SFTP service is running
“Authentication failed”
- Check credentials and authentication method (password vs SSH key)
“No such file or directory”
- Verify the file path and that it exists on the server

Performance Considerations

File Size Limits: Large files are loaded into memory; consider chunking for very large files
Connection Reuse: Each operation creates a new connection
Concurrent Operations: Use LOOP mode cautiously with many files
Timeout Settings: Default timeout is 30 seconds, configurable via options

Security Best Practices

Use SFTP or FTPS: Prefer encrypted protocols over plain FTP
Secure Credentials: Never hardcode credentials; use Superglue variables
SSH Keys: For SFTP, prefer SSH key authentication over passwords
Validate Paths: Sanitize file paths to prevent directory traversal
Limit Permissions: Use accounts with minimal required permissions
Verify SSL Certificates: For production FTPS, enable certificate validation

Path Handling

Absolute vs Relative Paths

Paths starting with / are absolute from the FTP root
Paths without / are relative to the urlPath base directory
Use variables for dynamic paths: "/data/<<folder>>/<<filename>>"

Path Variables

{
  "body": {
    "operation": "get",
    "path": "/<<(sourceData) => sourceData.year>>/<<(sourceData) => sourceData.month>>/report.pdf"
  }
}

Integration with Other Steps

FTP/SFTP results integrate seamlessly with other workflow steps:

// Parse CSV content from FTP
"<<(sourceData) => {
  const csv = sourceData.downloadFile;
  return csv.split('\n').map(row => row.split(','));
}>>"

// Filter file list
"<<(sourceData) => sourceData.listFiles
  .filter(f => f.type === 'file' && f.size > 0)
  .map(f => f.name)
>>"

// Check multiple files exist
"<<(sourceData) => sourceData.checkFile1.exists && sourceData.checkFile2.exists>>"

Response Formats

File Listing

Returns an array of file/directory objects with metadata

Get Operation

JSON files: Parsed and returned as objects
Text files: Returned as strings
Binary files: Returned as base64-encoded strings

Other Operations

Return success status and relevant information about the operation

Limitations

No built-in support for recursive directory operations
Files are processed in memory (consider size limitations)
No streaming support for very large files
Directory removal only works on empty directories

Getting Started

For Agent & AI App Builders

For Data & Integration Engineers

Guides & Examples

API Reference

​FTP/SFTP Integration

​Connection Protocols

​FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

​FTPS (FTP Secure)

​SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)

​Authentication Methods

​1. Password Authentication

​2. Using Variables

​3. SSH Key Authentication (SFTP only)

​Supported Operations

​1. List Directory Contents

​2. Get File Content

​3. Upload Content

​4. Delete File

​5. Rename/Move File

​6. Create Directory

​7. Remove Directory

​8. Check File Existence

​9. Get File Statistics

​Workflow Examples

​Example 1: Download and Process JSON Configuration

​Example 2: Backup Files with Timestamp

​Example 3: Process Multiple Files in Loop

​Example 4: Upload Generated Report

​Example 5: Clean Up Old Files

​Common Patterns

​1. Directory Synchronization

​2. JSON Data Exchange

​3. File Migration

​4. Conditional File Operations

​Error Handling

​Common Errors and Solutions

​Performance Considerations

​Security Best Practices

​Path Handling

​Absolute vs Relative Paths

​Path Variables

​Integration with Other Steps

​Response Formats

​File Listing

​Get Operation

​Other Operations

​Limitations

FTP/SFTP Integration

Connection Protocols

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

FTPS (FTP Secure)

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)

Authentication Methods

1. Password Authentication

2. Using Variables

3. SSH Key Authentication (SFTP only)

Supported Operations

1. List Directory Contents

2. Get File Content

3. Upload Content

4. Delete File

5. Rename/Move File

6. Create Directory

7. Remove Directory

8. Check File Existence

9. Get File Statistics

Workflow Examples

Example 1: Download and Process JSON Configuration

Example 2: Backup Files with Timestamp

Example 3: Process Multiple Files in Loop

Example 4: Upload Generated Report

Example 5: Clean Up Old Files

Common Patterns

1. Directory Synchronization

2. JSON Data Exchange

3. File Migration

4. Conditional File Operations

Error Handling

Common Errors and Solutions

Performance Considerations

Security Best Practices

Path Handling

Absolute vs Relative Paths

Path Variables

Integration with Other Steps

Response Formats

File Listing

Get Operation

Other Operations

Limitations