DevPort

A lightweight VS Code extension to sync local workspace files with a remote server over SFTP.

No telemetry. No tracking. No accounts. Everything runs locally between your editor and your server.

Features

• SFTP: Connect — connect using .vscode/sftp.json (auto-creates a template on first run)
• SFTP: Disconnect — close the active connection
• Upload File — upload the active or selected file
• Download File — download a file from the remote server
• Download Folder — recursively download a remote folder
• Sync Folder — upload only changed files (size / modification-time comparison)
• Delete Remote File — delete the remote copy of a file (with confirmation)
• Upload on Save — optionally upload files automatically when you save
• Upload Log — an SFTP Log view (in the Explorer) lists every uploaded file with its time, action, and a +added / -removed line summary. Click an entry to open a diff of the previously uploaded version vs. the one you just sent, so you can see exactly which lines changed.
• Automatic remote folder creation — parent directories are created as needed (mkdir -p)
• Progress notifications — every long operation reports progress and can be cancelled
• Output logs — all activity is logged to the DevPort output channel
• Automatic reconnect — dropped connections are re-established with backoff and one retry
• Graceful error handling — failures are reported without crashing the editor

Requirements

• VS Code 1.75.0 or newer
• Node.js 18+ (for building)
• An SFTP-accessible server (password or private-key authentication)

Configuration

On first SFTP: Connect, a template is created at .vscode/sftp.json:

{
  "host": "",
  "port": 22,
  "username": "",
  "password": "",
  "remotePath": "",
  "privateKey": "",
  "uploadOnSave": false,
  "ignore": [".git", "node_modules", ".vscode/sftp.json"]
}

* Provide either password or privateKey.

Path mapping

Local files map to remote paths by preserving their path relative to the workspace root under remotePath. For example, with remotePath: "/var/www/app":

<workspace>/src/index.js   ->   /var/www/app/src/index.js

Security tip: add .vscode/sftp.json to your .gitignore if it contains a password, so credentials are never committed.

Usage

1. Open a workspace folder.
2. Run SFTP: Connect from the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P). A config template opens on first run — fill it in and run SFTP: Connect again.
3. Right-click files/folders in the Explorer for Upload, Download, Sync, and Delete actions, or run them from the Command Palette.

Build & Run

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript -> out/
npm run compile

# Or watch mode during development
npm run watch

To run the extension in a development host:

1. Open this folder in VS Code.
2. Press F5 (uses .vscode/launch.json → Run Extension).
3. A new Extension Development Host window opens with DevPort loaded.

Package a .vsix

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package

This produces harshkajale-syncfiles-1.0.0.vsix (displayName DevPort), installable via Extensions → … → Install from VSIX.

Architecture

src/
  extension.ts   Command registration, VS Code wiring, upload-on-save, progress UI
  config.ts      Load / validate / template .vscode/sftp.json
  sftp.ts        SftpManager: connection lifecycle, reconnect, file operations
  sync.ts        Folder walking, changed-only sync, recursive download
  history.ts     UploadHistory: snapshots + line-diff of each uploaded file
  logView.ts     SftpLogProvider: the "SFTP Log" tree view
  statusBar.ts   Connection-state status-bar indicator
  utils.ts       Logger/OutputChannel, path mapping, ignore matching, helpers

Upload snapshots for the log are kept in the extension's own global storage (namespaced per workspace) — never inside your project and never uploaded.

Each module has a single responsibility; extension.ts orchestrates the others and owns all VS Code API interaction.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.