Export Data From Your Server Over SFTP — EasyCloudify™
TL;DR — SFTP lets you securely download any file from your EasyCloudify™ Cloud VPS (and any attached Block Storage) to your local machine, using the command line or a graphical client such as FileZilla.
What is SFTP?
SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) runs over your server's existing SSH connection, so no extra software needs to be installed on the server. Anything you can reach on your server's filesystem — including data on an attached Block Storage volume — can be downloaded to your local machine.
Before You Start
- You have a Cloud VPS deployed and running (see Deploy a VPS Server)
- You know your server's public IP address and a user with SSH access (see Manage Your Server)
- You have your SSH private key or password ready
Option A — Command-Line SFTP
Step 1 — Connect
On your local machine, open a terminal and connect with your server user and IP address:
sftp your-user@your-server-ip
If you use an SSH key stored somewhere other than the default location, specify it:
sftp -i /path/to/your-key your-user@your-server-ip
Step 2 — Navigate and download
Once connected, move to the directory that holds your data and download files or whole folders:
cd /var/www/my-app
get report.csv # download a single file
get -r uploads/ # download a folder and its contents
Downloaded files land in the local directory you started sftp from. Type bye to disconnect.
Option B — FileZilla (Graphical Client)
Step 1 — Open the Site Manager
In FileZilla, go to File → Site Manager → New Site.
Step 2 — Enter your connection details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Protocol | SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol |
| Host | Your server's public IP address |
| Port | 22 |
| Logon Type | Key file (or Normal for password) |
| User | Your SSH user |
| Key file | Your SSH private key (if using a key) |
Step 3 — Connect and transfer
Click Connect. Your server's files appear in the right-hand pane. Drag any file or folder to the left-hand pane (your local machine) to download it.
💡 Tip: Block Storage volumes appear under their mount point (for example
/mnt/your-volume), right alongside the rest of your filesystem — download from there the same way.
Next Steps
- For large directories or repeated transfers, use rsync instead.
- Need data from a deleted server? Recover files from a snapshot.