StackerFTP - Advanced FTP/SFTP Client for VS Code

A professional-grade FTP/SFTP client extension for Visual Studio Code and all its forks (Cursor, Antigravity, etc.) with comprehensive file management capabilities.

Features

🔌 Multi-Protocol Support

• SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) - Port 22 - Encrypted & Secure
• FTP (Standard File Transfer Protocol) - Port 21 - Basic/Unencrypted
• FTPS (FTP over SSL/TLS) - Port 21 - Secure with certificates
• Quick Protocol Switch: Change protocols without re-entering credentials
• Upload on Save: Automatically upload files when saved
• Download on Open: Save files opened from the Remote Explorer into your project
• Connection Profiles: Switch between multiple server configurations
• Multi-Connection Support: Connect to multiple servers simultaneously
• Target Connection Selection: With several connections, choose once where transfers go – no more silent uploads to the first server
• Connection Hopping: Connect through intermediate (jump) servers
• File Watcher: Monitor local files for changes and auto-upload
• Advanced Settings Form: Manage every connection setting from the Connections panel, with (?) help tooltips and examples

📁 File Management

• Full File Operations: Upload, download, delete, rename, duplicate files and folders
• Recursive Operations: Upload/download entire directory trees
• File Details: View file size, permissions, and modification date
• File Icons: Native VS Code file type icons
• Hidden Files: Option to show/hide hidden files (dotfiles)
• Copy Path / Copy Relative Path: Copy remote paths from the Remote Explorer (multi-select supported)
• Remote-to-Remote Transfer: Copy files between different remote servers
• Edit in Local: Edit remote files in a temp directory with auto-upload on save

🔄 Sync & Compare

• Sync with Preview: Sync local → remote, remote → local, or both – only changed files, reviewed before anything is transferred or deleted
• Compare Folders: See modified / only-local / only-remote files side by side with the server, diff them and fix differences one by one
• Upload to Multiple Servers: Deploy the same files to staging and production in one step, or to all servers
• Preserve Timestamps: Transferred files keep their modification time, so change detection stays accurate
• Upload Changed Files: Upload only files changed in git

🛠️ Web Master Tools (SFTP Only)

• Permission Management: Change file permissions (chmod)
• Checksum Verification: Calculate and compare MD5, SHA1, SHA256 checksums
• File Information: Detailed file metadata display
• Remote Search: Search content within remote files
• Backup Creation: Create backups of remote files/directories
• Folder Comparison: Compare local and remote folders (split-view panel)
• Quick Search: Ultra-fast file search by name in new tab (parallel traversal, wildcard patterns)
• Search & Replace: Find and replace text across remote files
• Cache Purge: Clear common cache directories on remote server

👨‍💻 Developer Features

• Diff View: Compare local and remote file versions
• Compare Remotes: Compare files between different remote servers
• Remote Terminal: Open an SSH terminal in the project's remote folder – uses your private key and jump hosts (SFTP only)
• Transfer Queue: Monitor and manage active transfers
• Clear Error Reporting: Failed transfers show the reason, a notification with Retry, full details on click, and a persistent "X failed" indicator
• Progress Indicators: Visual feedback for all operations
• Logging: Comprehensive logging for debugging
• Git Integration: Upload only git-changed files

🎯 Compatibility

StackerFTP is designed to work seamlessly with Visual Studio Code and all its major forks and alternative marketplaces.

• Supported IDEs: VS Code, Cursor, Antigravity, Windsurf, VSCodium, PearAI, Trae and more.
• Marketplaces: Available on the official VS Code Marketplace and Open VSX Registry.

Installation

From VSIX (Manual)

1. Download the latest .vsix file from releases
2. Open VS Code or your IDE (Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, etc.)
3. Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
4. Click "..." (More Actions) → "Install from VSIX..."
5. Select the downloaded .vsix file

From Marketplace

1. Open VS Code or your IDE (Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, etc.)
2. Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "StackerFTP"
4. Click Install

Quick Start

1. Configure Connection

Option A: New Connection Button (Recommended)

1. Open a workspace folder in your IDE
2. Click StackerFTP icon in the sidebar
3. Click the "+" button in the Connections header
4. Fill in your connection details

Option B: Quick Connect

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P
2. Type "SFTP: Quick Connect"
3. Select or create a connection

Option C: Manual Config (JSON)

1. Create .vscode/sftp.json in your workspace
2. Edit the configuration file:

{
  "name": "My Server",
  "host": "example.com",
  "protocol": "sftp",
  "port": 22,
  "username": "username",
  "password": "password",
  "remotePath": "/var/www/html",
  "uploadOnSave": false
}

2. Connect

1. Click on a connection in the Connections panel
2. Click the play button to connect
3. Or right-click and select "Connect"

3. Transfer Files

• Upload: Right-click a local file → "Upload to Remote"
• Download: Right-click a remote file → "Download"
• Sync: Right-click a folder → "Sync Local → Remote" or "Sync Remote → Local"
• Edit: Double-click a remote file to edit locally with auto-upload on save

Working with Multiple Servers

When more than one connection is configured, StackerFTP asks once which server to use and remembers your choice. All transfers, Upload on Save, the file watcher and the status bar use that target connection.

• Change the target: StackerFTP: Select Target Connection, or click the connection name in the status bar.
• How long it is remembered: stackerftp.rememberTargetConnection
  • session (default) – until you disconnect from it or reload the window
  • workspace – kept across reloads and restarts
• Upload on Save / File Watcher never guess: if no target is chosen yet, nothing is uploaded in the background.

Upload to multiple servers

Right-click files or folders (or use the editor context menu) → StackerFTP →

• Upload to Multiple Servers… – pick servers, e.g. staging + production. The selection is remembered for next time.
• Upload to All Servers – every configured connection, after a confirmation.

A per-server summary shows what was uploaded, skipped or failed.

Upload commit files (Beta)

⚠️ Beta feature – test carefully. It uploads files to your servers and can overwrite live files. Try it on a staging server first, check every line of the confirmation dialog and keep a backup of anything you cannot recreate. Please report problems in the issue tracker.

StackerFTP: Upload Commit Files... (Command Palette, or the Source Control title menu) opens a window with the files changed by the commits you pick (the latest commit is preselected; you can tick several). Nothing is uploaded until you press Upload and confirm.

Which file goes to which connection

1. A file belongs to the connection whose context (local folder) contains it. If several contexts contain it, the deepest folder wins – e.g. app_landing/dist/index.html goes to the connection with "context": ".../app_landing/dist", not to the one with the project root.
2. The remote path is remotePath + the file's path relative to that context. It is shown under every file and again in the confirmation dialog.
3. The connection's ignore list is applied last; ignored files are not re-routed to another connection.
4. Connections that share the same context stay switched off unless they have "uploadOnCommit": true (or are the current target) – you choose.

Safety rules

• Deleted files are never removed from the server; renames upload the new path only.
• Files matching stackerftp.commitUploadProtected (default: config, .env*, *.server.php, *.pem, *.key, id_rsa*) are marked ⚠ and start unchecked.
• Files matching stackerftp.commitUploadUnselected (default: AGENTS.md) are listed but start unchecked, without a warning.
• Switch a whole connection off, or uncheck single files, before uploading.

Optional automation (off by default): set "uploadOnCommit": true on a connection to preselect it, and enable stackerftp.commitUploadPrompt to open the window after every commit. It still only asks – it never uploads on its own.

Sync

SFTP: Sync Local → Remote, SFTP: Sync Remote → Local and SFTP: Sync Both Directions (also on folders in the Explorer) work in three steps:

1. Scan both sides (ignored folders are skipped entirely).
2. Preview only the changes, grouped as Upload, Download and Delete. Uncheck anything you don't want. Conflicts – e.g. the server copy is newer than yours – are shown with ⚠ and are not selected by default.
3. Apply the selection through the Transfer Queue.

	Local → Remote	Remote → Local	Both
New / changed files	uploaded	downloaded	newer side wins
Files missing on the source side	deleted on the server only with "syncMode": "full"	moved to trash only with "syncMode": "full"	never deleted

Deletions always need an extra confirmation. .git and .vscode/sftp.json are never transferred. Turn the preview off with stackerftp.confirmSync: false to apply the recommended changes directly.

Compare

Run Compare with Remote from the Command Palette (whole project), or right-click a folder (that folder) or a file (diff). The Compare Folders panel shows local and remote side by side:

• Colors follow your theme: modified, only local, only remote (high contrast themes get a clear marker instead of tinted rows).
• Hover a file for actions: ⇆ diff, ↑ upload, ↓ download, reveal.
• Toolbar: search, filters (All / Only Local / Only Remote / Different), Export (CSV/JSON), ⇧ Sync to Remote, ⇩ Sync to Local (with preview) and ↻ Refresh.
• A progress bar at the top shows while comparing, transferring or preparing a diff.

Compare and Sync use the same ignore rules and change detection.

Working in a team

Turn on stackerftp.warnIfTargetNewer to avoid overwriting each other's changes: before a file is uploaded (also on save) or downloaded, StackerFTP checks whether the target is newer and asks whether to Overwrite, Compare (opens a diff) or Skip.

When a Transfer Fails

• The Transfer Queue shows the reason next to the file, e.g. ↑ Error: Permission denied.
• After the run, a notification offers Show Details, Retry and Show Queue.
• Click a failed item for the full error, server, local and remote path – with Retry, Copy Error and Show Log.
• The status bar shows a red X failed indicator until the failures are retried or cleared.

Configuration Options

Basic Configuration

{
  "name": "My Server",
  "host": "server.example.com",
  "protocol": "sftp",
  "port": 22,
  "username": "root",
  "password": "password",
  "remotePath": "/var/www/html",
  "uploadOnSave": true
}

SSH Key Authentication

{
  "name": "Production Server",
  "host": "server.example.com",
  "protocol": "sftp",
  "port": 22,
  "username": "root",
  "privateKeyPath": "~/.ssh/id_rsa",
  "passphrase": "optional-key-passphrase",
  "remotePath": "/var/www/production",
  "uploadOnSave": true
}

Profile Configuration

{
  "name": "Multi-Environment",
  "username": "developer",
  "password": "password",
  "remotePath": "/app",
  "profiles": {
    "dev": {
      "host": "dev.example.com",
      "uploadOnSave": true
    },
    "staging": {
      "host": "staging.example.com"
    },
    "production": {
      "host": "prod.example.com",
      "uploadOnSave": false
    }
  },
  "defaultProfile": "dev"
}

FTP/FTPS Configuration

{
  "name": "FTP Server",
  "host": "ftp.example.com",
  "protocol": "ftp",
  "port": 21,
  "username": "user",
  "password": "pass",
  "passive": true,
  "remotePath": "/public_html"
}

FTPS (Secure FTP) Configuration

{
  "name": "FTPS Server",
  "host": "ftp.example.com",
  "protocol": "ftps",
  "port": 21,
  "username": "user",
  "password": "pass",
  "remotePath": "/public_html"
}

"protocol": "ftps" always uses TLS (explicit, port 21). For implicit TLS (usually port 990) set "secure": "implicit". For self-signed certificates on servers you trust, add "secureOptions": { "rejectUnauthorized": false }.

File Watcher Configuration

{
  "name": "Watch Mode",
  "host": "server.example.com",
  "protocol": "sftp",
  "username": "user",
  "password": "pass",
  "remotePath": "/var/www",
  "watcher": {
    "files": "dist/**/*",
    "autoUpload": true,
    "autoDelete": false
  }
}

Advanced Configuration

{
  "name": "Advanced Config",
  "host": "server.example.com",
  "protocol": "sftp",
  "port": 22,
  "username": "user",
  "privateKeyPath": "~/.ssh/id_rsa",
  "passphrase": "key-passphrase",
  "remotePath": "/home/user/project",
  "context": "src",
  "uploadOnSave": true,
  "downloadOnOpen": false,
  "syncMode": "update",
  "ignore": [
    ".git",
    ".DS_Store",
    "node_modules",
    "*.log"
  ],
  "connTimeout": 10000,
  "keepalive": 10000
}

All Configuration Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
name	string	-	Connection display name
host	string	-	Server hostname or IP
port	number	22/21	Server port
protocol	string	"sftp"	Protocol: "sftp", "ftp", or "ftps"
username	string	-	Username for authentication
password	string	-	Password for authentication
privateKeyPath	string	-	Path to SSH private key
passphrase	string	-	Passphrase for encrypted private key
remotePath	string	"/"	Remote directory path
context	string	workspace root	Local folder mapped to remotePath: relative to the workspace, absolute, or ~/...
localPath	string	-	Alias of context (vscode-sftp style); context wins if both are set
uploadOnSave	boolean	false	Auto-upload on file save
downloadOnOpen	boolean	false	Save files opened from the Remote Explorer into the project
syncMode	string	"update"	"update" (never deletes) or "full" (sync also deletes files missing on the source side, after confirmation)
ignore	array	node_modules, .vscode, …	Patterns never transferred. .git and .vscode/sftp.json are always ignored
watcher	object	-	File watcher configuration
profiles	object	-	Multiple server profiles
defaultProfile	string	-	Default profile to use
hop	object/array	-	Jump host configuration
connTimeout	number	10000	Connection timeout in ms
keepalive	number	10000	Keepalive interval in ms
autoReconnect	boolean	true	Reconnect when the connection drops unexpectedly
remoteExplorerOrder	string	"name"	Remote Explorer sort: "name", "size", "date" or "type"
secure	boolean / "implicit"	true for ftps	TLS mode for FTPS
secureOptions	object	-	TLS options, e.g. { "rejectUnauthorized": false }

Keyboard Shortcuts

Command	Windows/Linux	Mac
Upload Current File	Ctrl+Shift+U	Cmd+Shift+U
Download	Ctrl+Shift+D	Cmd+Shift+D
Sync to Remote	Ctrl+Shift+Alt+U	Cmd+Shift+Alt+U
Sync to Local	Ctrl+Shift+Alt+D	Cmd+Shift+Alt+D

VS Code Settings

Open VS Code settings and search for "StackerFTP":

Setting	Type	Default	Description
stackerftp.showHiddenFiles	boolean	false	Show hidden files in remote explorer
stackerftp.confirmDelete	boolean	true	Confirm before deleting remote files
stackerftp.confirmSync	boolean	true	Show the sync preview before applying changes
stackerftp.rememberTargetConnection	string	"session"	Remember the target connection for the "session" or the "workspace"
stackerftp.rememberMultiTargets	boolean	true	Pre-select the servers last used with "Upload to Multiple Servers"
stackerftp.preserveTimestamps	boolean	true	Keep modification times on transferred files
stackerftp.warnIfTargetNewer	boolean	false	Ask before overwriting a newer file (e.g. changed by a teammate on the server): Overwrite / Compare / Skip
stackerftp.autoRefresh	boolean	true	Auto refresh remote explorer after operations
stackerftp.transferConcurrency	number	4	Number of concurrent file transfers
stackerftp.showWebMasterTools	boolean	true	Show web master tools in context menu

Supported Protocols

Protocol	Port	Encryption	Authentication	Use Case
SFTP	22	SSH (Strong)	Password / SSH Key	Production servers, sensitive data
FTP	21	None	Password	Local networks, legacy systems
FTPS	21	TLS/SSL	Password / Certificate	Secure FTP without SSH

Protocol Selection Guide

Choose SFTP when:

• ✅ You have SSH access to the server
• ✅ Security is a priority
• ✅ Transferring sensitive data
• ✅ Working with production servers
• ✅ Need remote terminal access

Choose FTP when:

• ✅ Local development environment
• ✅ Legacy server without SSH
• ✅ Quick testing (not for production)
• ✅ Behind secure VPN/firewall

Choose FTPS when:

• ✅ FTP server with SSL/TLS support
• ✅ Need encrypted FTP without SSH
• ✅ Shared hosting environments
• ✅ Certificate-based authentication

Switching Protocols

Already configured a connection but want to change the protocol?

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P
2. Type "SFTP: Switch Protocol"
3. Select the connection
4. Choose new protocol

Your settings (host, username, etc.) will be preserved!

Web Master Tools

Change Permissions (chmod)

1. Right-click a remote file/folder
2. Select "Permissions (chmod)"
3. Enter the new permission (e.g., 755, 644)

Calculate Checksum

1. Right-click a remote file
2. Select "Checksum"
3. Choose algorithm (MD5, SHA1, SHA256)
4. Compare with local file or copy to clipboard

Search in Remote Files

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P
2. Type "Search in Remote"
3. Enter search pattern
4. Results will show file path, line number, and content

Create Backup

1. Right-click a remote file/folder
2. Select "Backup"
3. Optionally specify backup name
4. Backup will be created with timestamp

Purge Cache

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P
2. Type "Purge Remote Cache"
3. Common cache directories will be cleared

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

1. Check your firewall settings
2. Verify server address and credentials
3. For SFTP: Ensure SSH is enabled on the server
4. For FTPS: Check if server requires explicit or implicit TLS

Upload/Download Fails

1. Check file permissions on remote server
2. Verify disk space on remote server
3. Check transfer logs: Ctrl+Shift+P → "SFTP: View Logs"

Performance Issues

1. Reduce transfer concurrency in settings
2. Use passive mode for FTP behind NAT
3. Enable compression for SFTP connections

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

StackerFTP is inspired by the excellent vscode-sftp extension by Natizyskunk, which was originally forked from liximomo's SFTP plugin.

Support

• GitHub Issues: github.com/yasinkuyu/stackerftp/issues

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Enjoy using StackerFTP! 🚀