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: Automatically download files when opened from remote
• Connection Profiles: Switch between multiple server configurations
• Multi-Connection Support: Connect to multiple servers simultaneously
• [x] Connection Hopping: Connect through intermediate servers
• File Watcher: Monitor local files for changes and auto-upload

📁 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)
• 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 Features

• Bi-directional Sync: Sync local → remote, remote → local, or both directions
• Sync to All Profiles: Upload to multiple server profiles at once
• 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 SSH terminal to remote server (SFTP only)
• Transfer Queue: Monitor and manage active transfers
• 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

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,
  "secure": true,
  "username": "user",
  "password": "pass",
  "remotePath": "/public_html"
}

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",
  "localPath": "./src",
  "uploadOnSave": true,
  "downloadOnOpen": false,
  "syncMode": "update",
  "ignore": [
    ".git",
    ".DS_Store",
    "node_modules",
    "*.log"
  ],
  "connTimeout": 10000,
  "keepalive": 10000
}

All Configuration Options

Keyboard Shortcuts

VS Code Settings

Open VS Code settings and search for "StackerFTP":

Supported Protocols

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

Enjoy using StackerFTP! 🚀