SFTP

SFTP + Konnectify

SFTP Integration with Konnectify

Connect to SFTP servers for secure file transfer operations—monitor folders for changes and automate file/folder workflows across your systems using SSH-based secure transfers.

Files Folders 2 Triggers 10 Actions

ON THIS PAGE

→ What is SFTP? → API & Authentication → How to connect → Triggers (2) → Actions (10) → Popular automations → FAQ

What is SFTP?

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is a secure way to transfer and manage files over an SSH connection. It’s commonly used for exchanging files with partners, moving data between internal systems, and securely handling reports, exports, and integration feeds.

With Konnectify’s SFTP integration, you can monitor folders for changes and automate file and folder operations—reducing manual uploads/downloads and keeping downstream systems in sync.

New to SFTP?

Get started with an SFTP server/provider and create credentials you can use in Konnectify.

Learn about SFTP →

New to Konnectify?

Create an account to build workflows that move and transform files securely across your tools.

What you can automate

• Detect new or updated files in a folder

• Detect new or updated subfolders

• List directories for downstream processing

• Upload, download, and read files (including CSV→JSON)

• Rename or move files after processing

• Create and delete folders for structured archiving

API & Authentication

Authentication method: Credentials (Username + Password)

This connector authenticates to your SFTP server using a host, port, username, and password. These credentials are used to establish an SSH/SFTP session for file and directory operations.

What the connector can do

Monitor folders for new/updated files and subfolders (polling)
List directory contents
Upload, download, and retrieve file metadata/content
Move, rename, and delete files
Create and delete folders
Read CSV files and convert rows to JSON for further processing

Important notes (limits & access)

SFTP performance depends on your server’s policies (concurrency, connection limits, and allowed ciphers).
Polling frequency for triggers may affect server load—use reasonable intervals and archive/rotate processed files.
Some servers restrict certain operations (rename/move/delete) by directory permissions; ensure the user has access.

Reference: for protocol-level behavior and server requirements, see SFTP File Transfer Protocol specification.

How to connect SFTP to Konnectify

Prerequisites

SFTP server host (DNS name or IP) and port (usually 22)
A valid username and password with permissions for the target paths
The remote folder paths you want to monitor or manage (e.g., /inbound)

Add SFTP to a Workflow

Create a new workflow in Konnectify.
Select SFTP as the trigger app or as an action step.

Authorize via Username + Password

Enter SFTP Host, Port, Username, and Password.
Save the connection. Konnectify will validate connectivity where possible.

Configure the Trigger or Action

Choose the folder path(s) you want to watch or manage.
Select whether you need metadata only or full file contents (when available for the step).
Map fields between steps (e.g., source path → destination path).

Warning

Be careful with Delete and Move/Rename steps in production. Use a dedicated test folder first, and consider writing to an archive path instead of deleting.

Test the Workflow

Run a test with a sample file and confirm the expected path and filename behavior.
Verify permission-related operations (list/read/write/delete) succeed on your server.

Activate the Workflow

Turn on the workflow.
Monitor early runs to confirm the polling cadence and file processing logic are correct.

Triggers 2 total

SFTP triggers run using polling (scheduled checks). Choose a folder path and Konnectify will periodically look for new or updated items.

Files 1 triggers

New/Updated File

Monitor for new or updated files in an SFTP folder

Folders 1 triggers

New/Updated Subfolder

Monitor for new or updated subfolders in an SFTP folder

Actions 10 total

Use SFTP actions to programmatically manage directories and files—download inputs, transform content, and archive outputs after successful processing.

Files 8 actions

List Directory

List all files and directories in a specified path on the SFTP server

Rename a File

Rename a file to a new name in the same directory

Read CSV to JSON

Reads a CSV file from SFTP and converts rows into JSON without external libraries

Get a File

Read file metadata and optionally retrieve file contents from the SFTP server

Move a File

Move a file from one location to another on the SFTP server

Download File

Download a file from the SFTP server and save it to the specified local path or return as base64

Upload a File

Upload a file to the SFTP server from a local path, base64 encoded content, or plain text

Delete File

Delete a file from the specified path on the SFTP server

Folders 2 actions

Create a Folder

Create a new directory/folder at the specified path on the SFTP server

Delete a Folder

Delete a folder/directory from the specified path on the SFTP server

Popular automations

Examples of common SFTP workflows you can build in Konnectify using the available triggers and actions.

Ingest new files and archive them after download

When a new file arrives, download it for processing and move it to an archive folder to prevent reprocessing.

New/Updated File → Download File → Move a File

Convert inbound CSV files into JSON for downstream steps

Automatically read a CSV file from SFTP and convert rows into JSON that you can map into other apps or databases.

New/Updated File → Read CSV to JSON

Create a processing structure for new subfolders

When a new subfolder appears, automatically create standardized child folders (for example: processed and error).

New/Updated Subfolder → Create a Folder

Rename files after validation

After confirming a file is readable, rename it to include a status suffix (e.g., .processed) for auditability.

New/Updated File → Get a File → Rename a File

FAQ

How does authentication work for the SFTP connector?

The SFTP integration uses credentials-based authentication: host, port (default 22), username, and password. Konnectify uses these details to establish an SSH/SFTP session to your server for the selected operations.

Which SFTP servers/plans are supported?

SFTP is a protocol rather than a single vendor product. Konnectify can connect to most standards-compliant SFTP servers (managed providers, cloud-hosted SFTP, or self-hosted) as long as your credentials have the required directory permissions.

Are SFTP triggers polling or webhook-based?

They are polling triggers. Konnectify checks your specified folder at a configured interval for new or updated files/subfolders. For best results, archive or move processed files to avoid repeat detections.

How do I prevent duplicate processing of the same file?

Because polling can see the same file multiple times, a common pattern is:

After successful processing, Move a File to an archive folder (recommended), or
Rename a File to include a processed suffix, or
Store a processed-state record in your database keyed by path + filename + last modified time.

How does Konnectify handle rate limits or connection limits?

SFTP servers often enforce connection and throughput limits rather than HTTP-style rate limits. If your server restricts connections or bandwidth, reduce polling frequency, avoid large parallel downloads, and batch processing by directory when possible.

Can I connect multiple SFTP servers (or multiple users) to Konnectify?

Yes. Create separate SFTP connections in Konnectify—one per server and/or credential set. This is useful when you need different permissions for inbound vs outbound folders or when working with multiple partners.

What’s the best way to handle large files?

For large files, prefer Download File to a controlled destination (or use base64 only if required by a downstream step). Also consider an archive strategy (move/rename after processing) and avoid frequent polling on directories containing many large objects.

Ready to automate your SFTP workflows?

Connect your SFTP server to Konnectify to monitor folders and orchestrate secure file operations end-to-end.

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