These days, everyone is using multiple cloud providers so does file management get more difficult?
Most organizations now rely on several cloud platforms AWS, Google Cloud, Azure , their on-premises systems and every time you need to transfer files, things get complicated.
- You have to set up separate SFTP servers for each cloud, each with different configurations.
- You have to maintain multiple storage systems.
- And you also need to be careful about security and user permissions — setting who can read what, which files can be shared, and which ones cannot.
SFTPGo makes everything easier. It’s the one solution that centralizes file management across multiple clouds and on-prem systems in one place, without needing to deploy multiple servers.
What is SFTPGo? If you don’t know yet… it’s time to try it.
If you’re looking for a modern file transfer solution that’s easy to use and lets you send and receive files all from a single system. that’s exactly what SFTPGo is. It’s an open-source software that combines the power of SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, and HTTP into one tool. Whether you store files on cloud platforms or inside your on-premises environment, SFTPGo connects to all of them effortlessly. SFTPGo comes packed with features strong security, high flexibility, and configuration options tailored to your needs. If you want fast, secure file transfers you want SFTPGo.
Key Features of SFTPGo
- Supports multiple protocols: SFTP, FTP/S, HTTP/S, WebDAV
- Supports multiple backend storage systems: Amazon S3, MinIO, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob, local filesystems, or NFS shares
- Easy to manage: Comes with a Web Admin UI, REST API, and CLI for users of all skill levels
- Full control: Quotas, bandwidth limits, and access control
- Easy to install and works on any platform: Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes
Instead of setting up multiple SFTP servers to connect to different cloud platforms, SFTPGo can act as a single gateway that integrates all storage systems in one place. And that’s not all. It also includes an Event Manager, allowing you to configure automatic notifications or scripts whenever files are uploaded, downloaded, deleted, or when any event occurs. This makes file management smarter, more automated, and significantly reduces manual work.
How It Works
SFTPGo acts as a gateway between the client (such as WinSCP, FileZilla, or the
sftpcommand) and the backend storage.When a user logs in through SFTP/FTP/WebDAV
– SFTPGo verifies the user’s credentials, either via local users or an external authentication provider.
– It then maps the user’s access to the assigned backend storage — whether local or cloud.
Any file read/write operation performed through SFTPGo is forwarded to the corresponding storage backend, allowing users to transfer files as if they were working on a local filesystem.
Data Flow: SFTP → SFTPGo → Storage
Usage Examples
Case 1: Receiving files from users and storing them in S3
Create a user userA in SFTPGo
Set the backend storage to an S3 bucket
The user can upload files via SFTP immediately
Files are automatically stored in S3 no need to set up your own SFTP server on AWS
Case 2: Store files on-prem and back them up to the cloud
Internal users upload files to SFTPGo
SFTPGo stores the files in local storage (e.g., NFS or NAS)
Configure replication or automatic object copy to Cloud Storage
Case 3: Multicloud Integration
User A → uses GCS
User B → uses Azure Blob
User C → uses AWS S3
All users connect through a single SFTPGo instance, but each user’s backend storage can be on a different cloud independently and flexibly.
Security and Management
SFTPGo comes with a full set of security features:
Supports SSH key authentication
Provides Audit Logs and Access Control Lists (ACL)
Uses HTTPS/TLS when communicating with cloud services
Supports server-side file encryption (encryption at rest)
Getting Started
SFTPGo can be installed in many ways — on Windows, macOS, Linux, or via Docker.
Example installation using Docker:
docker run --name some-sftpgo -p 8080:8080 -p 2022:2022 -d "drakkan/sftpgo:tag"
Then access the Web UI at : http://<ip>>:8080/web/admin
Create a new user and select the desired Storage Backend, such as S3 or GCS.
And that’s it — your SFTPGo instance is ready to use.
Example: Connecting SFTPGo to Cloud Storage
Configure the Storage Backend for a user
When creating or editing a user → go to the Storage tab and select the backend you want, such as Amazon S3 or any S3-compatible storage.
Select: Storage Type → S3 Compatible
Fill in the details:
Bucket: your-bucket-name
Region: <region>
Access Key ID: <ACCESS_KEY>
Secret Access Key: <SECRET_KEY>Endpoint: https://s3.amazonaws.comTesting the setup
Use an SFTP client:
sftp -P 2022 user@your-server
Once connected, try commands like ls, put, and get.
All files will be stored directly in the Cloud Storage backend you configured.
References : https://docs.sftpgo.com/2.7/
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