ITFFTP

ITFFTP is a VS Code FTP, FTPS, and SFTP client maintained by Stephen Stern under ITFinesse. It runs in Visual Studio Code and compatible VS Code-based editors.

This repository preserves the feature set developed through the original SFTP project lineage, the StackerFTP project, and this ITFinesse fork.

This release is ITFFTP 2.1.0, the ITFinesse-branded major release containing the dashboard, connection reliability, packaging, and menu-placement refactors described in CHANGELOG.md.

Dashboard screenshots

These screenshots are intentionally redacted: hostnames, connection names, usernames, and credentials are excluded or blurred.

Main dashboard

Dashboard sections covered

• Hosts (multiple named remote locations, add/remove/export/import)
• Settings (sync, overwrite, and file-watch options)
• Ignore rules (local workspace exclusions + wildcard patterns)
• Diff viewer (local ↔ remote tree with file actions)
• Analytics (project transfer history and activity graphs)

What ITFFTP provides

Connection dashboard

• Native VS Code Settings webview dashboard for connection profiles and every ITFFTP workspace preference.
• Connection profiles stored in .vscode/sftp.json, with JSON validation before saving.
• SFTP, FTP, and FTPS connections, password or private-key authentication, custom ports, remote paths, passive mode, and TLS options.
• Multiple simultaneous connections, primary-connection selection, profiles, and connection hopping through SSH jump hosts.
• Basic Connections side panel for connect, disconnect, refresh, and current lifecycle status.
• Explicit connecting, connected, disconnected, and error states, bounded connection timeouts, and output-channel diagnostics.
• Auto-connect and auto-reconnect controls, including protection against retry loops after an initial connection failure.

Remote file management

• Upload, download, delete, rename, duplicate, create, and open remote files and folders.
• Recursive directory transfers with parent-directory creation.
• Remote file metadata, permissions, modification dates, hidden-file visibility, and native file icons.
• Edit a remote text file locally with upload-on-save support.
• Remote-to-remote copy, remote comparisons, revision listing, and local/remote reveal actions.
• Safe handling for system paths, traversal attempts, binary files, and multi-selection operations.

Synchronization and transfers

• Local-to-remote, remote-to-local, and bidirectional synchronization.
• Upload to all configured profiles and upload only files changed in Git.
• Project upload/download commands and transfer queue management.
• Retry, cancel, clear, and inspect transfer items with progress indicators and stall recovery.
• Configurable transfer concurrency and serialized FTP operations for reliable client state.

WebMaster tools

• Change remote permissions with chmod.
• Calculate and compare MD5, SHA1, SHA256, and other supported checksums.
• Inspect remote file information and search remote content.
• Create timestamped backups and purge common remote caches.
• Compare local and remote folders in a split-view panel.
• Quick remote search with wildcard patterns, parallel traversal, path changes, and result actions.
• Find and replace text across remote files.
• Open an SSH terminal for SFTP connections.

Development and integration features

• Git and Source Control integration for changed-file uploads.
• File watcher with configured auto-upload and auto-delete behavior.
• Remote document viewing with binary-file safeguards and optional download-on-open.
• Native Remote Explorer tree plus the legacy WebView explorer surface.
• Structured ITFFTP output logging and clickable status/progress indicators.
• Right-click ITFFTP actions grouped together at the bottom of Explorer, editor, and Source Control menus.

Quick start

1. Open a workspace folder.
2. Run ITFFTP: Open Settings from the Command Palette or the Connections view title bar.
3. Add one connection object or an array of objects under Connection profiles.
4. Save the dashboard, then connect from the basic Connections side panel or ITFFTP: Quick Connect.
5. Open ITFFTP: Show Output if a server rejects a connection or a transfer needs diagnosis.

Example profile (replace values; do not commit real credentials):

{
  "name": "Production",
  "host": "server.example.com",
  "protocol": "sftp",
  "port": 22,
  "username": "deploy",
  "privateKeyPath": "~/.ssh/id_ed25519",
  "remotePath": "/var/www/html",
  "uploadOnSave": false
}

FTP and FTPS use the same profile shape with "protocol": "ftp" or "protocol": "ftps" and the appropriate port/security settings. Profiles may also contain profiles, defaultProfile, watcher, ignore, syncMode, connTimeout, and keepalive options documented by schema/sftp.schema.json.

Dashboard settings

The dashboard owns auto-connect, auto-reconnect, refresh behavior, hidden files, delete/sync confirmations, WebMaster visibility, file watching, syntax highlighting, native-tree selection, download-on-open, transfer concurrency, explorer sorting, reusable named remotes, and connection profile JSON. The native VS Code configuration namespace remains available for compatibility, but the dashboard is the supported editing surface.

Installation

From a VSIX

1. Open Extensions in VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+X).
2. Select … → Install from VSIX….
3. Choose the ITFFTP .vsix package.
4. Reload the window if VS Code requests it.

From a marketplace

Search for ITFFTP. The extension identity is ITFinesse.itfftp; the historical stackerftp command/configuration prefix is retained for workspace compatibility.

Reliability and security fixes in this fork

• Bundled runtime dependencies into the extension so activation cannot fail because ssh2, basic-ftp, or MIME support is absent from the VSIX.
• Added a portable local Codicon asset instead of depending on an unbundled node_modules directory.
• Added bounded connection promises, lifecycle state reporting, unique progress identifiers, error propagation, and output logging at activation and connection start.
• Prevented an unsuccessful initial connection cleanup from triggering automatic reconnect storms.
• Kept credentials out of the basic Connections side-panel payload.
• Preserved safe remote-path checks, atomic configuration behavior, transfer queue recovery, and FTP serialization from the existing codebase.

Development

npm install
npm run compile
npm test -- --run
npm run bundle
npm run package

Press F5 to launch an Extension Development Host. Test at least one SFTP, FTP, and FTPS profile, dashboard save/reset, connect timeout, reconnect behavior, upload/download, synchronization, WebMaster action, and right-click menu placement before publishing.

Lineage and attribution

ITFFTP is an independent ITFinesse fork maintained by Stephen Stern. It acknowledges and builds upon the SFTP client lineage from the original liximomo SFTP plugin, the Natizyskunk vscode-sftp project, and the yasinkuyu StackerFTP project. Changes in this repository include continued maintenance, reliability fixes, multi-connection and transfer work, WebMaster tooling, dashboard settings, and the refactors documented in CHANGELOG.md.

Contributions should preserve upstream attribution and clearly describe whether a change belongs to the original SFTP lineage, StackerFTP, or ITFFTP-specific behavior. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the development and review workflow.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE.