Help CenterSFTP is the more secure version of FTP, and with it, you can connect to your Minecraft server and add plugins, and mods, download and change configs, and more.
SFTP is one of the best ways to interact with your server, as you can easily download, upload, and delete files without having to access the SimpleGameHosting Control Panel once you have the login information saved in your FTP Client.
Step 1: Downloading an FTP Client
First, you will need to download and install an FTP client in order to access your server via SFTP.
For all of SimpleGameHosting’s Knowledge Base, we will be using the FileZilla client. This is because it is free and easy to use. There are other FTP clients out there, though, so feel free to use any you like.
To download FileZilla, navigate to the FileZilla Client Download Page. Once you are there, click the "Download FileZilla Client" button. FileZilla will then start downloading.
From there, FileZilla can be installed like any other program. Just go through the installer until it is finished.
Once it’s complete, it should open automatically. If not, open FileZilla.
🛑 Note: This guide shows images from FileZilla's macOS App, but the process is the same no matter which operating system you are using.
Step 2: Getting Your SFTP Login Details
Before we can use your FTP client to log in to your server, you will need to get your SFTP details from the control panel.
Get started by logging into the panel and selecting the server you want to access. Then, click the "SFTP" tab in the menu bar.
Here, you will see your "SFTP Details" Specifically, there will be a server address and username. Make note of these, or leave this page open, as you will need them later. You can click each to copy them.
Step 3: Accessing Your Server via SFTP
After you have found your SFTP login details, go back to FileZilla, and we can use this information to access your server.
In FileZilla, click the ‘Site Manager’ in the top left. Click the ‘New Site’ button.
Name the server anything you want, and then we need to move to the panel on the right side.
- Protocol: Change this to “SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol.”
- Host: This is the server address you found on the control panel.
- Port: The port can be left blank.
- Logon Type: Set this to normal.
- Username: This is the Username found in the SFTP details section of the control panel.
- Password: The SFTP password is the same password used to log in to the SimpleGameHosting Control Panel.
Once all the above information has been entered, click “Connect.” You will most likely be promoted to trust the connection. When you do this, you will log in into the server via SFTP.
Step 4: Using SFTP To Manage Your Server
Having logged into your server via SFTP, you will see all of the files and folders (directories) on your server.
👉 If your server has plugins, there will be a “plugins” directory. If it is a modded server, there will be a “mods” directory. It just depends on the type of server you are running.
You can drag and drop files from your server to your computer. From there, if these are config files (such as .yml or .json files), you can edit them with a text editor like VSCode.
Once the files have been edited and saved, they can be moved from your computer onto the server. You can overwrite existing files, but a pop-up may appear confirming this.
New files, such as mods and plugins, can be updated via SFTP by downloading them to your computer and moving them to the server.