Remote FTP/SFTP for VS Code

A powerful, lightweight, and resilient extension to browse, edit, sync, and manage files on remote FTP/SFTP servers directly from VS Code.

Designed for developers who need a quick and reliable connection without the bloat.

✨ Features

📂 Full Tree View: Browse remote file systems seamlessly.
🔒 Secure Protocols: Support for FTP and SFTP (password & private key).
⚡ Resilient Connection: Smart connection pooling and auto-reconnect logic.
📝 Direct Editing: Open remote files, edit, and save to upload automatically.
⭐ Bookmarks: Quickly bookmark frequently accessed remote folders for instant navigation.
📥 Bulk Operations: Upload/Download entire folders with recursive support.
📦 Safety First: Automatic local backups of edited files with rotation support.

🚀 Getting Started

1. Setup Configuration

Create a file named rsftpconfig.json in the root of your workspace.

{
  "hosts": {
    "My Demo Site": {
      "protocol": "ftp",
      "host": "ftp.example.com",
      "port": 21,
      "username": "user",
      "password": "password123",
      "remote_path": "/public_html",
      "workers": 1
    },
    "Secure Server": {
      "protocol": "sftp",
      "host": "192.168.1.50",
      "port": 22,
      "username": "root",
      "private_key": "/Users/me/.ssh/id_rsa",
      "remote_path": "/var/www/app",
      "workers": 1
    }
  },
  "backup_retention_days": 7
}

2. Connect

Open the Remote FTP panel in the VS Code Explorer sidebar. Your hosts will appear automatically.

⚙️ Configuration Options

Option	Description	Default
`protocol`	`ftp` or `sftp`	Required
`host`	Server IP or Domain	Required
`username`	SSH/FTP Username	Required
`password`	Password (optional if using key)	-
`private_key`	Absolute path to SSH private key (SFTP only)	-
`remote_path`	Starting directory on the server	`/`
`workers`	Number of parallel threads for up/download	`1`
`backup_retention_days`	How many days to keep local backups	`7`

Right-click on any remote item to perform actions:

📥 Download: Downloads file or folder to your local workspace (preserves path structure).
📤 Upload: Upload local files or folders to the selected remote directory.
✏️ Rename: Rename files or folders on the server (and locally if they match).
🗑️ Delete: Permanently delete remote files/folders (and local mirrors).
🔐 Chmod: Change file permissions (e.g., 755).
📋 Copy Path: Copy the full remote path to the clipboard.
⭐ Bookmark: Add folder to bookmarks.

⭐ Bookmarks System

Navigate complex server structures faster.

Right-click a remote folder and select Bookmark.
Use the star icon on the top panel to see a list of saved locations.
Selecting a bookmark instantly expands the tree to that location.

📦 Local Backups

Every time you save a remote file, a backup is created locally in the rsftpbackups folder within your workspace.

Backups are timestamped.
Old backups are automatically cleaned up based on backup_retention_days (default: 7 days).

🧩 Requirements

VS Code ≥ 1.80
Active Internet connection

Remote FTP [beta]

andriy063