{"id":24456,"date":"2017-04-04T14:43:37","date_gmt":"2017-04-04T19:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/?post_type=resource&p=24456"},"modified":"2024-09-29T10:05:44","modified_gmt":"2024-09-29T15:05:44","slug":"how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Access WordPress Files With SFTP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the course of this article, we\u2019ll explore what the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is, how it works, how it compares to regular File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and how to connect to it. Let\u2019s get started!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is SFTP?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SFTP has similar functionality to FTP in that it enables you to transfer files between two systems. However, SFTP uses <\/span>Secure Shell (SSH)<\/span><\/a> \u2013 a cryptographic protocol that enables you to send data safely over unsecured channels. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does SFTP work?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every website you\u2019ve ever visited is stored on a server, which is basically just a computer optimized for that task. Servers can be located anywhere around the world and accessed in several different ways.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most users only interact with the web through their browsers (and apps nowadays), which render websites using the <\/span>Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)<\/span>. Whenever someone attempts to access a website, his or her browser will make a request, and the server will reply to it by sending the necessary data. It\u2019s very straightforward, but it\u2019s not the only protocol available.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If for example you run a WordPress website, you may need to access your server directly, and that\u2019s where FTP comes in. As we stated earlier, this acronym stands for File Transfer Protocol, and it\u2019s very aptly named.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connecting to a server using FTP enables you to see the underlying files and directories that power any sites hosted therein. Most importantly however, it provides you with a way to transfer those elements between the remote server and your computer.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To use FTP, you\u2019ll need to set up a client, such as <\/span>FileZilla<\/span><\/a>. This type of tool enables you to connect to remote servers using a set of credentials that should be given to you by your web hosting provider.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to SFTP, we\u2019re talking about a protocol that is very similar in functionality to FTP, but more secure. It works by setting up an SSH connection between a \u2018client\u2019 (in this case your computer) and a remote server. Data travelling via an SSH connection is <\/span>encrypted<\/span><\/a>, thus making SFTP far more secure than FTP.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Much like FTP, you can use a client such as FileZilla to access your server via SFTP (which we\u2019ll tell you how to do in a moment). However, it\u2019s important to note that the two protocols are quite different, despite how similar their names and functionalities are. In the next section we\u2019ll discuss some of their distinctions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SFTP vs. FTP<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite their overall similarity, there are a few key differences when it comes to these two protocols.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, FTP uses two different channels (or connections) at all times \u2013 one for commands and another for data. The first channel sends commands for each action you want to take, including accessing a new folder, deleting a directory, and so on. On the other hand, the data channel is reserved solely for transferring files and other similar elements. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SFTP, on the other hand, uses a single channel for both data and commands, and every packet that goes through the SSH connection is secured via encryption. The information is \u2018coded\u2019, and only authorized parties will be able to revert it to its original, unencrypted state. Therefore, SFTP protects your information from being intercepted by malicious users.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FTP, on the other hand, does not encrypt any of the data that you transfer between a client and a server by default, which makes it more vulnerable. Considering both protocols have very similar functionalities, that fact alone is enough to make SFTP the superior choice.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to connect to SFTP<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the fact that SFTP is a separate protocol to FTP, a lot of clients for the latter also support the former. Some of our favorite picks include:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. FileZilla<\/b><\/a>: <\/b>An all-around solid tool that is available for every platform (we\u2019ll use this one in our tutorial below).<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. CODA<\/b><\/a>: <\/b>A premium text editor that doubles as an SFTP client.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. CyberDuck<\/b><\/a>: <\/b>This free client supports multiple protocols and it comes with some handy features, such as a text editor of its own.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. sFTPClient<\/b><\/a>: <\/b>A light SFTP client with multi-platform support and a Chrome extension.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The first thing you need to do is find out what your SFTP hostname is. Most web hosts will provide you with an address (such as <\/span>yourwebsite.sftp.wpengine.com<\/span><\/i>), which you\u2019ll need to enter into your SFTP client to set up a connection.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You\u2019ll also need a username and password. Some web hosts will default these credentials to the same ones that your hosting account uses, whereas others will require you to configure dedicated SFTP credentials.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019ll use FileZilla to show you how to connect to your server using SFTP. Although you\u2019ll have to enter your credentials the first time around, in future FileZilla will connect automatically to save you time. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once you\u2019ve <\/span>downloaded and installed<\/span> FileZilla, open the client and access the <\/span>Site Manager <\/span><\/i>option under <\/span>Files.<\/span><\/i> Next, click on <\/span>New Site <\/span><\/i>in the lower left corner and fill out the hostname, username, and password fields:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once you\u2019re done, click on <\/span>Connect <\/span><\/i>and let the client work its magic. It may take a few moments for the connection to establish itself, but once it does, you\u2019ll have access to all of your WordPress files:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Since you saved your credentials, you\u2019ll be able to access your server via SFTP again at any time. Simply click on the <\/span>Site Manager <\/span><\/i>icon just below the <\/span>Files <\/span><\/i>tab, and select your website.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Despite the benefits that SFTP provides and its ease of use, not all web hosts make this option available for their clients. If you\u2019re looking for solid hosting for WordPress sites that takes security seriously, <\/span>check out our plans<\/a> and find the option that’s right for you!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Over the course of this article, we\u2019ll explore what the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is, how it works, how it compares to regular File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and how to connect to it. Let\u2019s get started! What is SFTP? SFTP has similar functionality to FTP in that it enables you to transfer files between…<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":24848,"template":"","resource-topic":[909,901],"resource-role":[895,896],"resource-type":[916],"class_list":["post-24456","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Access WordPress Files With SFTP | WP Engine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to manually access your WordPress files (including themes, plugins & uploads) by using a secure SFTP server connection with this simple guide.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How To Access WordPress Files With SFTP | WP Engine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to manually access your WordPress files (including themes, plugins & uploads) by using a secure SFTP server connection with this simple guide.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WP Engine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wpengine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-29T15:05:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/What-is-WordPress-SFTP.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"334\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@wpengine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/\",\"name\":\"How To Access WordPress Files With SFTP | WP Engine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-04-04T19:43:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-29T15:05:44+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn how to manually access your WordPress files (including themes, plugins & uploads) by using a secure SFTP server connection with this simple guide.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Resources\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"How To Access WordPress Files With SFTP\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/\",\"name\":\"WP Engine\",\"description\":\"Managed Hosting for WordPress\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#\/schema\/person\/0a179d29dd6584428ab5170cac84b36a\",\"name\":\"Oliver Whitham\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/335b023e9e3436428700b32d6cf6c24136466235c9cb1c3134f65f604bda491b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/335b023e9e3436428700b32d6cf6c24136466235c9cb1c3134f65f604bda491b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Oliver Whitham\"},\"description\":\"Oliver Whitham is an Englishman in Austin, helping get the word out about WP Engine to the world!\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/wp.guide\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/olivermwhitham\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/oliverwhitham\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/seochemist\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How To Access WordPress Files With SFTP | WP Engine","description":"Learn how to manually access your WordPress files (including themes, plugins & uploads) by using a secure SFTP server connection with this simple guide.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How To Access WordPress Files With SFTP | WP Engine","og_description":"Learn how to manually access your WordPress files (including themes, plugins & uploads) by using a secure SFTP server connection with this simple guide.","og_url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/","og_site_name":"WP Engine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wpengine","article_modified_time":"2024-09-29T15:05:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":500,"height":334,"url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/What-is-WordPress-SFTP.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@wpengine","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/","url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/","name":"How To Access WordPress Files With SFTP | WP Engine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-04-04T19:43:37+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-29T15:05:44+00:00","description":"Learn how to manually access your WordPress files (including themes, plugins & uploads) by using a secure SFTP server connection with this simple guide.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-access-wordpress-files-using-sftp\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Resources","item":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How To Access WordPress Files With SFTP"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/","name":"WP Engine","description":"Managed Hosting for WordPress","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#\/schema\/person\/0a179d29dd6584428ab5170cac84b36a","name":"Oliver Whitham","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/335b023e9e3436428700b32d6cf6c24136466235c9cb1c3134f65f604bda491b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/335b023e9e3436428700b32d6cf6c24136466235c9cb1c3134f65f604bda491b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Oliver Whitham"},"description":"Oliver Whitham is an Englishman in Austin, helping get the word out about WP Engine to the world!","sameAs":["http:\/\/wp.guide","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/olivermwhitham","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/oliverwhitham","https:\/\/twitter.com\/seochemist"]}]}},"acf":[],"grid_image_url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/What-is-WordPress-SFTP-216x144.jpg","media-type":{"term_id":916,"name":"Article","slug":"article"},"role":"<strong>Roles:<\/strong> Agency, Developer","topic":"<strong>Topics:<\/strong> Security, WordPress","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource\/24456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resource"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"resource-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-topic?post=24456"},{"taxonomy":"resource-role","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-role?post=24456"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=24456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}