FTPair

Bring FTP/SFTP/FTPS remote file management directly into VS Code.

Table of Contents

• Highlights
• Installation
• Quick Start
• Upload Flows
• Download and Diff
• Remote Explorer Features
• Profile Configuration (.vscode/ftpair.json)
• Settings Export / Import
• Settings (settings.json)
• Shortcuts
• Commands
• Security Notes
• License

Highlights

• FTP, SFTP, and FTPS (implicit/explicit) connection support
• Remote Explorer panel (list, open, rename, delete, create file/folder)
• Upload To... supports:
  • single file upload
  • recursive folder upload
  • multi-selection upload from Explorer
• Batch upload summary: total / succeeded / skipped / failed
• Upload on Save (global setting + profile-level setting)
• Download From... downloads the remote counterpart of the selected/active local file
• Download files/folders directly from Remote Explorer (recursive for folders)
• Local ↔ Remote diff
• Reveal the active file in Remote Explorer
• JSON export/import for profiles
• .ftpignore + excludedPaths + path mapping support
• Passwords stored securely in OS keychain (SecretStorage)

Installation

Install FTPair from the VS Code Marketplace.

Quick Start

1. Open Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P
2. Run FTPair: Add Connection Profile
3. Fill in profile details and save
4. Connect with FTPair: Connect
5. Open the FTPair panel from the Activity Bar
6. Use Upload To... / Download From... from Explorer or editor

For commands that use profile selection (Upload To..., Download From..., Diff with Remote):

• If there is only one profile, it is selected automatically.
• If there are multiple profiles, a selection list is shown.

Upload Flows

1) Upload File

• Uploads the active file to the selected profile.
• No default keybinding (available via Command Palette).

2) Upload To... (recommended main flow)

This command is available in Explorer, Editor, and SCM context menus.

• If a file is selected in Explorer: uploads that file.
• If a folder is selected in Explorer: uploads recursively.
• If multiple items are selected in Explorer: uploads all selected files/folders in one flow.
• If no item is selected: uses active editor/tab file.
• If none is available: opens a file picker.

Batch operations show a summary:

• Upload completed: total X, succeeded Y, skipped Z, failed N.

Default shortcut:

• macOS: Cmd+Option+Shift+X
• Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+X

Note: Single-file and multi/folder uploads use the same shortcut (Upload To...).

3) Upload Folder and Upload Entire Project

• Upload Folder: recursively uploads the selected folder (requires active connection).
• Upload Entire Project: recursively uploads workspace root (asks for confirmation).
• Shows batch summary after completion.

4) Upload filtering and mapping

• .ftpignore and profile excludedPaths are applied together.
• Local → remote path resolution:
  • profile mappings first
  • workspace fallback when needed
  • temp path resolution for remote temp files

5) Upload on Save

Upload is triggered when any of these is true:

• Global setting: ftpair.uploadOnSave
• Profile setting: uploadOnSave
• Remote temp file scenario

Download and Diff

Download From...

• Selects a local file from Explorer/Editor/SCM and downloads its remote counterpart based on the selected profile.
• Uses profile selection.

Open Remote File...

• Selects a local file from Explorer/Editor/SCM and downloads its remote counterpart into a temporary folder.
• Opens the downloaded remote version with an appropriate viewer (does not overwrite local file).

Remote Explorer Download

• Direct download for files.
• Recursive download for folders.
• Tries to open binary files with an appropriate viewer.

Diff with Remote

• Opens VS Code diff view for active file or selected remote file.
• In local-file diff flow, profile selection opens each time; comparison is done after connecting to the selected profile.

Remote Explorer Features

Toolbar:

• Reveal Active File In Remote Explorer
• Collapse All
• Refresh
• Disconnect
• Switch Connection
• Add Connection Profile
• Export Settings / Import Settings buttons in Switch Connection profile list
• Import Settings icon is visible when disconnected and hidden when connected
• Switch Connection profile list is numbered; order can be changed permanently with Move Up / Move Down

Row/context actions:

• Open Remote File
• Download
• Diff with Remote
• Rename
• Delete
• New File
• New Folder
• Copy Remote Path

Additional:

• Active profile name shown in title
• Symlink target display and symlink visibility
• Change profile from status bar (ftpair.statusBarClicked)

Profile Configuration (.vscode/ftpair.json)

File path: .vscode/ftpair.json inside workspace

Example:

{
  "profiles": [
    {
      "id": "prod",
      "label": "Prod Server",
      "protocol": "sftp",
      "host": "example.com",
      "port": 22,
      "username": "deploy",
      "authType": "key",
      "privateKeyPath": "~/.ssh/id_rsa",
      "remotePath": "/var/www/current",
      "webUrl": "https://example.com",
      "mappings": [
        {
          "local": "/Users/me/Projects/site",
          "remote": "/"
        }
      ],
      "excludedPaths": ["node_modules", ".git", "*.log"],
      "uploadOnSave": true,
      "showInUploadMenu": true,
      "ftpsMode": "explicit"
    }
  ],
  "activeProfileId": "prod"
}

Field notes:

• authType: password | key | agent
• showInUploadMenu=false: hides profile from upload selection list
• mappings: maps local paths to remote paths (most specific match wins)
• activeProfileId: active profile

Settings Export / Import

Commands:

• Export Settings
• Import Settings

Behavior:

• Export writes profile configuration to JSON file (ftpair-settings.json recommended).
• Import replaces current profile set with file content.
• During import, active connections are closed and extension context is refreshed.
• Passwords are not imported/exported for security reasons.

Supported import formats:

• Direct config format (profiles, activeProfileId)
• Export envelope format (source, version, exportedAt, config)

Settings (settings.json)

Shortcuts

Commands

Compatibility alias:

• sftp.upload.activeFile → routed to FTPair upload flow.

Security Notes

• Passwords/proxy credentials are stored in SecretStorage (OS keychain).
• Passwords are never written to .vscode/ftpair.json.
• Do not keep SSH private keys inside the project (~/.ssh is recommended).

License

Commercial License. See the Marketplace License page for full terms.