Transfer Files to a Server with an SFTP Client
The easiest way to transfer files between a client and a web server is to use a file transfer program. These applications generally provide a graphical user interface that makes it easy for non-technical users to drag-and-drop files to initiate file transfers. Behind the scenes, these applications speak the FTP (file transfer protocol) and SFTP (secure file transfer protocol) to the server. These protocols are, unsurprisingly, specialized mini-languages for transferring files between computers.
File transfer programs
There is a wide variety of high quality free file transfer programs available for both Mac and Windows. Some recommendations (in order of preference):
Install one, if you haven’t already. Any of these will do.
Connect to the web server
To transfer files between your local computer (i.e. client) and the web server, open a new SFTP connection in the file transfer program of your choice. Enter the hostname and your credentials to log in. The protocol must be SFTP, not regular unencrypted FTP.
You will now be logged-in via SFTP to your web server home directory.
Navigate to the server web root
Navigate in the file transfer program to the server web root directory - this is where you must place your files in order for them to be visible through the web at the web URL.
Upload files to the web server
Drag-and-drop files to the web server:
- Open the program that allows you to browse your local file system. This is Finder on Mac or Windows Explorer on Windows.
- Navigate to where you have stored the files you want to publish to the web.
- Drag-and-drop the desired files from your local computer’s file browser program (where you see your computer’s files) to the file transfer program (where you see the files on the web server).
Verify that the files are published on the web
The files you uploaded should be visible at the web URL. Point a web browser to the web URL to make sure.
For example, imagine you uploaded a file to the following location on NYU’s i6.cims.nyu web server:
/home/username/public_html/origami.html
That file should be visible through a web browser at the following web URL:
http://i6.cims.nyu.edu/~username/origami.html
Fixing permissions errors
The server may report a permissions error, such as “Access denied” or something similar. If so, it is likely that either you have not placed your files in the correct directory on the server, or that the files you uploaded to the server do not have the permissions that allow “others” to “read” them. Fix this!
- All files published to the web must allow others to read them.
- All programs, such as Python, Javascript, or PHP scripts, that you want to be able to execute on the web server from a web browser must also have execute permissions granted to others.