Sync files between a local folder and a remote server over SFTP (SSH) or FTP/FTPS, right from VS Code. Edit locally in a familiar environment and mirror your changes to a web server, staging box, or embedded device — on every save, on demand, or continuously. The most basic setup is a few lines of config; a wide range of options covers multi-server, profile, and bastion-hop workflows.

Install: VS Code Marketplace · Open VSX — see Installation
Docs: project wiki
Repository: https://github.com/jmwerk/SFTPresso

Actively maintained by @jmwerk. Forked from Natizyskunk's vscode-sftp, which continued liximomo's original SFTP plugin after it went unmaintained. Issues and pull requests welcome.

Maintenance status: As of 2026 this fork is where fixes and updates land. Recent work includes a migration to the basic-ftp client, secure password storage, a Transfers view with per-file progress, guided config setup, and a modernized esbuild/TypeScript 5 toolchain — see the CHANGELOG for the full list.

Features

Browse remote files in the Remote Explorer, with multi-select download/upload
Diff a local file against its remote copy, or Compare Folders for a recursive diff
Sync in either or both directions, with an optional dry-run preview (syncConfirm)
Upload/Download files, folders, or the whole project — optionally to all profiles at once
Upload on save — with a one-click SFTP: Toggle Upload on Save command and a status-bar indicator — and a file watcher for changes made outside the editor
Add to Ignore from the file-explorer right-click menu — appends a file or folder to ignore without hand-editing sftp.json
Conflict check (conflictCheck) to catch uploads that would overwrite a remote changed by someone else
Transfers view with byte-level per-file progress, live speed/ETA, cancellation, and retry — cancelling stops the directory scan too, not just the queued files
Test Connection from a command or a CodeLens on sftp.json, plus a connection-status indicator in the status bar
Secure password storage backed by the OS keychain (SFTP: Save Password / Clear Password), plus one-click SFTP: Migrate Plaintext Password to move a password out of sftp.json
SSH host key verification (strictHostKeyChecking) — reads your own ~/.ssh/known_hosts so trusted hosts never prompt, and refuses to connect if a server's key ever changes
Multiple configurations, switchable profiles, SSH connection hopping, and temp-file/atomic uploads

See the command reference for the full list.

Installation

As of v1.20.2, each tagged release is published automatically to both the VS Code Marketplace and Open VSX, so you can install from within your editor and get updates automatically.

From the Marketplace / Open VSX (recommended)

Open the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X).
Uninstall any older sftp extension from @liximomo or @Natizyskunk to avoid command conflicts.
Search for SFTPresso and install it — or run ext install jmwerk.sftpresso from the Command Palette.

Listings: VS Code Marketplace (VS Code, VSCodium, and other VS Code–based editors) · Open VSX (VSCodium, Gitpod, Eclipse Theia, …).

From a VSIX (manual)

Prefer to sideload a specific build? Grab a .vsix from Releases (or build one with npm run package), then open the ⋯ (More Actions) menu at the top of the Extensions view, choose Install from VSIX…, select the file, and reload VS Code.

Quick start

Prefer a guided tour? Run Welcome: Open Walkthrough… from the Command Palette and pick Get started with SFTPresso for a native, checklist-style walkthrough of the steps below.

Open the local folder you want to sync (File → Open Folder…).
Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and run SFTP: Config.
When no sftp.json exists yet, choose how to create it:
- Quick setup — a guided wizard prompts for protocol, host, port, username, authentication, and remote path, then writes sftp.json and runs SFTP: Test Connection to confirm it works.
- Edit JSON — a starter sftp.json opens under .vscode/; fill in your server details.
A minimal config:
```
{
  "host": "server.example.com",
  "protocol": "sftp",
  "username": "user1",
  "remotePath": "/var/www/project",
  "uploadOnSave": false
}
```
password is optional — leave it out to be prompted on connect (with an offer to remember it in the OS keychain). sftp.json is read as JSONC, so comments and trailing commas are allowed.
To pull an existing remote project into an empty folder, run SFTP: Download Project.
Edit locally — with uploadOnSave on, every save syncs to the remote.

Full setup, all configuration options, usage examples, troubleshooting, and FAQ live in the project wiki:

Contributing

Development requires Node 22+ (see .nvmrc). See CONTRIBUTING.md for the build, test, and pull-request workflow.

Credits

This project builds on the work of @Natizyskunk and @liximomo. If their earlier work helped you, their original donation links are in the upstream README.