FTP Component

Manage files and directories on an FTP server

Component key: ftp

Description

The FTP (File Transfer Protocol) component allows uploading, downloading, moving and deleting files on an FTP server.

A common integration pattern involves listing files in a file store, and performing a series of actions on the array of files that are returned. See our looping over files quickstart for information about how to create a loop over an array of files.

Connections

Basic Authentication

key: basic

This component supports basic authentication, meaning that a username and password can be entered for authentication, or if the FTP server allows anonymous access, those values can be left blank.

Prerequisites

An FTP or FTPS server with accessible credentials
Server hostname or IP address
Port number (typically 21 for FTP or 990 for FTPS)
SSL/TLS configuration details (if using FTPS)

Configure the Connection

Create a connection of type Basic Authentication and configure the following:

Username: Enter the FTP username (leave blank for anonymous access)
Password: Enter the FTP password (leave blank for anonymous access)
Host: You can enter either an IP address (e.g. 1.2.3.4) or FQDN (e.g. ftp.example.com) for the FTP's host name
Port: Most FTP servers run on port 21 and most FTPS (secure) servers run on port 990, though ports are configurable and server administrators can choose to operate on different ports
Secure: Some FTP servers are secure (indicating that they use FTPS rather than FTP). If you are using plain, unsecured FTP select false for secure (though, we recommend encrypting your connection if possible). If your FTP server is set up to use SSL/TLS, you can select true (meaning use "explicit" FTPS) or implicit to use "implicit" FTPS. For information on "implicit" and "explicit" FTPS, see this documentation

If the connection fails, verify the hostname, port and security information with the server administrator.

On-prem enabled: this connection can be configured to connect to an on-prem resource on a private network. Learn more.

Input	Notes	Example
Host	The address of the FTP server. This should be an IP address or hostname.	ftp.example.com
Ignore SSL Errors	When true, ignores SSL certificate validation errors such as self-signed certificates.	false
Password	The password for FTP authentication.	p@s$W0Rd
Port	The port of the FTP server. Default is 21 for FTP or 990 for implicit FTPS.	21
Secure	Whether to use FTPS over TLS. Set to 'true' for explicit FTPS, 'false' for plain FTP, or 'implicit' for legacy implicit FTPS.	false
Username	The username for FTP authentication.	john.doe

Triggers

New or Modified Files

Checks for new and modified files in a directory on an FTP server on a configured schedule. | key: newOrModifiedFiles

Input	Notes	Example
Connection
Include Subdirectories	When true, recursively monitors files in all subdirectories. When false, only monitors files in the specified directory.	false
Path	Path of directory on FTP server to monitor for new or modified files.	/path/to/directory
Pattern	Glob-style string for filtering specific files.	*.csv
Verbose Logging	Enables verbose logging for debugging purposes.	false

This trigger polls an FTP server for new and modified files on a scheduled basis.

The trigger checks for:

New files: Files that did not exist in the previous poll
Modified files: Files whose modification timestamp or size has changed since the last poll

How It Works

The trigger runs on the configured schedule (e.g., every 5 minutes)
It lists all files in the specified directory on the FTP server
Files are compared against the previous poll's file map (stored in state)
Files are categorized as "new" or "modified" based on their presence and attributes
The trigger updates its state with the current file map for the next poll

Configuration

Configure the following inputs:

Connection: The FTP connection with server credentials
Path: The directory path to monitor on the FTP server
Pattern: Optional glob pattern to filter files (e.g., *.csv)
Include Subdirectories: Enable to recursively monitor subdirectories

Returned Data

The trigger returns an object with two arrays:

{
  "data": {
    "newFiles": [
      {
        "path": "/uploads/incoming/report-2026-02-11.csv",
        "size": 24576,
        "modifiedAt": 1739308800000
      }
    ],
    "modifiedFiles": [
      {
        "path": "/uploads/incoming/daily-log.txt",
        "size": 102400,
        "modifiedAt": 1739312400000
      }
    ]
  }
}

Notes

Files are tracked by path, size, and modification timestamp
The first poll will return all files as "new"
Polling frequency should balance freshness with server load
A common integration pattern involves looping over the returned files to perform actions on each file

Actions

Delete File

Deletes a file from an FTP server. | key: deleteFile

Input	Notes	Example
Connection
Path	The full path of the file on the FTP server to delete.	/path/to/file.txt
Verbose Logging	Enables verbose logging for debugging purposes.	false

List Directory

List the contents of a directory | key: listDirectory

Input	Notes	Example
Connection
Path	The full path of the directory on the FTP server to list.	/path/to/directory
Verbose Logging	Enables verbose logging for debugging purposes.	false

{
  "data": [
    {
      "name": "reports",
      "type": 2,
      "size": 0,
      "rawModifiedAt": "Feb  8 22:16",
      "permissions": {
        "user": 7,
        "group": 5,
        "world": 5
      },
      "hardLinkCount": 2,
      "group": "ftpusers",
      "user": "deploy",
      "isDirectory": true,
      "isFile": false,
      "isSymbolicLink": false
    },
    {
      "name": "invoice-2024-001.pdf",
      "type": 1,
      "size": 245760,
      "rawModifiedAt": "Jan 23 16:38",
      "permissions": {
        "user": 6,
        "group": 4,
        "world": 4
      },
      "hardLinkCount": 1,
      "group": "ftpusers",
      "user": "deploy",
      "isDirectory": false,
      "isFile": true,
      "isSymbolicLink": false
    }
  ]
}

Move File

Moves a file on an FTP server. | key: moveFile

Input	Notes	Example
Connection
Destination Path	The new path where the file will be moved on the FTP server.	/my/destination/path.txt
Source Path	The current path of the file on the FTP server to move.	/my/starting/path.txt
Verbose Logging	Enables verbose logging for debugging purposes.	false

Read File

Reads a file from an FTP server. | key: readFile

Input	Notes	Example
Connection
Path	The full path of the file on the FTP server to read.	/path/to/file.txt
Verbose Logging	Enables verbose logging for debugging purposes.	false

{
  "data": {
    "type": "Buffer",
    "data": [
      101,
      120,
      97,
      109,
      112,
      108,
      101
    ]
  },
  "contentType": "application/octet-stream"
}

Write File

Writes a file to an FTP server. | key: writeFile

Input	Notes	Example
Connection
Data	The text or binary data to write to the file on the FTP server.
Path	The full path on the FTP server where the file will be written.	/we/love/commas.csv
Verbose Logging	Enables verbose logging for debugging purposes.	false

Changelog

2026-02-24

Added New or Modified Files polling trigger that detects new and modified files in a directory on a configured schedule

Manage files and directories on an FTP server

Description​

Connections​

Basic Authentication​

Prerequisites​

Configure the Connection​

Triggers​

New or Modified Files​

How It Works​

Configuration​

Returned Data​

Notes​

Actions​

Delete File​

List Directory​

Move File​

Read File​

Write File​

Changelog​

2026-02-24​