SFTP has 1,561,583 recorded installs on VS Code Marketplace.
It ranks #403 of 2,500 tracked VS Code Marketplace listings by installs.
It is rated 4.0 out of 5 from 89 ratings.
PluginStats has 3 daily observations since Oct 16, 2026; the latest is from Oct 18, 2026.
Rating: 4.01 / 5 from 89 ratings
About SFTP
sftp sync extension for VS Code
Maintained and updated version by @Natizyskunk 😀 (Forked from the no longer maintained liximomo's SFTP plugin)
• VS Code marketplace : https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Natizyskunk.sftp • VSIX release : https://github.com/Natizyskunk/vscode-sftp/releases/
VSCode-SFTP enables you to add, edit or delete files within a local directory and have it sync to a remote server directory using different transfer protocols like FTP or SSH. The most basic setup requires only a few lines of configuration with a wide array of specific settings also available to meet the needs of any user. Both powerful and fast, it helps developers save time by allowing the use of a familiar editor and environment.
• Features • Browser remote with Remote Explorer • Diff local and remote • Sync directory • Upload/Download • Upload on save • File Watcher • Multiple configurations • Switchable profiles • Temp File support • Commands • Debug • FAQ
Installation
Method 1 (Recommended : Auto update)
1. Select Extensions (Ctrl + Shift + X). 2. Uninstall current sftp extension from @liximomo. 3. Install new extension directly from VS Code Marketplace : https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Natizyskunk.sftp. 4. Voilà!
Method 2 (Manual update)
To install just follow these steps from within VSCode: 1. Select Extensions (Ctrl + Shift + X). 2. Uninstall current sftp extension from @liximomo. 3. Open "More Action" menu(ellipsis on the top) and click "Install from VSIX…". 4. Locate VSIX file and select. 5. Reload VSCode. 6. Voilà!
Documentation
• Home • Settings • Common configuration • SFTP configuration • FTP confriguration-only-Configuration) • Commands
Usage
If the latest files are already on a remote server, you can start with an empty local folder, then download your project, and from that point sync.
1. In VS Code, open a local directory you wish to sync to the remote server (or create an empty directory that you wish to first download the contents of a remote server folder in order to edit locally). 2. Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac open command palette, run SFTP: config command. 3. A basic configuration file will appear named sftp.json under the .vscode directory, open and edit the configuration parameters with your remote server information.
For instance:
The password parameter in sftp.json is optional, if left out you will be prompted for a password on sync. _Note:_ backslashes and other special characters must be escaped with a backslash.
4. Save and close the sftp.json file. 5. Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac open command palette. 6. Type sftp and you'll now see a number of other commands. You can also access many of the commands from the project's file explorer context menus. 7. A good one to start with if you want to sync with a remote folder is SFTP: Download Project. This will download the directory shown in the remotePath setting in sftp.json to your local open directory. 8. Done - you can now edit locally and after each save it will upload to sync your remote file with the local copy. 9. Enjoy!
For detailed explanations please go to wiki.
Example configurations
You can see the full list of configuration options here.
• sftp sync extension for VS Code • Installation • Method 1 (Recommended : Auto update) • Method 2 (Manual update) • Documentation • Usage • Example configurations • Simple • Profiles • Multiple Context • Connection Hopping • Single Hop • Multiple Hop • Configuration in User Setting • Remote Explorer • Multiple Select • Order • Debug • FAQ • Donation • Buy Me a Coffee • PayPal
Simple
Profiles
_Note:_ context and watcher are only available at root level.
Use SFTP: Set Profile to switch profile.
Multiple Context
The context must not be same.
_Note:_ name is required in this mode.
Connection Hopping
You can connect to a target server through a proxy with ssh protocol.
_Note:_ Variable substitution is not working in a hop configuration.
Single Hop
local -> hop -> target
Multiple Hop
local -> hopa -> hopb -> target
Configuration in User Setting
You can use remote to tell sftp to get the configuration from remote-fs.
In User Setting:
In sftp.json:
Remote Explorer
Remote Explorer lets you explore files in remote. You can open Remote Explorer by:
1. Run Command View: Show SFTP. 2. Click SFTP view in Activity Bar.
You can only view a files content with Remote Explorer. Run command SFTP: Edit in Local to edit it in local.
Multiple Select
You are able to select multiple files/folders at once on the remote server to download and upload. You can do it simply by holding down Ctrl or Shift while selecting all desired files, just like on the regular explorer view.
_Note:_ You need to manually refresh the parent folder after you delete a file if the explorer isn't correctly updated.
Order
You can order the remote Explorer by adding the remoteExplorer.order parameter inside your sftp.json config file.
In sftp.json:
Debug
1. Open User Settings. • On Windows/Linux - File > Preferences > Settings • On macOS - Code > Preferences > Settings 2. Set sftp.debug to true and reload vscode. 3. View the logs in View > Output > sftp.
FAQ
You can see all the Frequently Asked Questions here.
Donation
If this project helped you reduce development time and you wish to contribute financially
Buy Me a Coffee
PayPal
Description from the VS Code Marketplace listing.
- ftp
- json
- keybindings
- remote
- sftp
- sync
Where SFTP sits in the listing
Each band is one page of 20. Installs on a log scale. Placement is projected from installs, so it can differ from the marketplace's own sort order. Hover a dot to see the listing.
Charts
Images: 30d · 1y · all time · 1600×900 dark
Adoption over time
7/30/90-day growth
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Recent observations
Full history (3)Similar VS Code Marketplace Other plugins
Data source
Install counts, average rating, and rating counts come from the public Visual Studio Marketplace gallery API. Installs are cumulative and exclude updates.
Listing: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Natizyskunk.sftp. First seen Oct 16, 2026; last successful collection Oct 18, 2026. See the methodology.