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How to use SFTP to connect to your site

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What is SFTP

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and is a way of transferring files using a client to server connection. SFTP stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol and is an extension of the SSH (Secure Shell) communication protocol. With SFTP, your files are encrypted, making the transfer secure. For this reason, 10Web supports only SFTP.

You can access, manage, and transfer your files by connecting to your website using an FTP client. 

FTP client

An FTP client is a third party service that establishes the connection between you and your website's server. You can use SFTP protocol with an FTP client. To get started, download an FTP client that is compatible with your operating system such as Filezilla for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. 

To connect to the server of a website hosted on 10Web, we will provide you with the following credentials:

  • SFTP Host
  • SFTP Username
  • SFTP Password
  • SFTP Port 

How to connect to your website with SFTP

To connect using SFTP:

  1. Log in to your 10Web dashboard
  2. Click on the website you want to connect to
  3. Under Hosting Services click on Credentials
  4. Launch your FTP client (for our case we will use FileZilla)

With FileZilla you can choose to use the quick connect by entering the credentials in their corresponding fields and clicking the Quickconnect button.

Important:

The default settings on some versions of FileZila will be FTP. Please make sure you choose the SFTP setting or type sftp:// before your host number otherwise you will get an error and will be unable to connect.

  1. Find the SFTP card in the Credentials page
  2. Go to Filezilla, click on File then Site Manager 
  3. At the bottom of the window click New Site

You will find the fields for the credentials to the right of the window in the General tab. 

  1. For Protocol, choose SFTP
  2. Copy the credentials from the 10Web dashboard and paste them in their corresponding fields.
  3. Click Connect
  4. A pop up will appear asking for the password
  5. Copy and paste the password into the field and click Ok

Once the connection is made you can securely transfer your files. To the left of the window you will see your Local site. These are your computer files. To the right of the window, you will see Remote site. These are your website files.

Accessing your remote files

In your SFTP client under Remote files you will find your wp-live folder. This folder contains all of your core files. To access your root folder, double click on the web folder then on the wp-live folder.

Important:

The root folder where you will find your WordPress core files is: /home/wplive/web/wp-live

Inside  /home/wplive/web/wp-live you will find: 

  • wp-admin - Contains the files that govern the WP admin dashboard of your website and its interface. 
  • wp-content - This folder contains your content files such as your themes, plugins, images, and all content you have uploaded to WP. 
  • wp-includes - Contains the functionalities needed for carrying out WP processes. The wp-includes file works like an API.  

Accessing your themes, plugins, and uploads

Your website themes, plugins, and all uploads are located in the wp-content folder. You may need to access these files for troubleshooting or for managing them. You can access these files by clicking on the corresponding folders or by writing their address in the Remote site directory. 

To access your themes,plugins, or uploads:

  1. Connect your site via FTP client
  2. In the Remote site directory fill in: 
  • /home/wplive/web/wp-live/wp-content/themes to access the themes folder
  • /home/wplive/web/wp-live/wp-content/plugins to access the plugins folder
  • /home/wplive/web/wp-live/wp-content/uploads to access the uploads folder

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