SFTP & FTP Connection

This guide helps you identify and resolve connection errors quickly when importing or exporting your files in SmartFeeds.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Your SFTP/FTP login credentials (Host, Username, Password, or Private SSH Key).
• Access to ProductFlow inside SmartFeeds.

Table of Contents

1. How SFTP/FTP Works (Simple Explanation)
2. Authentication and Firewall Errors (IP Whitelisting)
3. Configuration and Directory Path Errors
4. File Naming and Format Errors
5. Performance and Timeout Errors
6. Quick Answer to Common Issues
7. Related Article

How SFTP/FTP Works (Simple Explanation)

You do not need to be an engineer to understand SFTP or FTP.

Think of an SFTP server as a highly secure digital mailbox owned by your brand or client.

• Your role: Your IT team drops your product catalog file into this mailbox.
• SmartFeeds' role: At scheduled times, SmartFeeds walks to this mailbox, opens it with a digital key (your password or SSH key), copies the file, and brings it back to our platform.

Why do connection errors happen?

If the gate to the mailbox is locked (firewall/IP block), if you write the wrong mailbox address (wrong directory path), or if the key does not fit (bad credentials), SmartFeeds cannot collect your products.

Authentication and Firewall Errors (IP Whitelisting)

Errors like SSHException, ConnectionRefusedError, or "Incorrect username/password" happen when our platform is stopped before it can even reach your mailbox.

How it works and why it matters

• What is whitelisting? It is like putting SmartFeeds on your server's VIP guest list.
• Why do we need it? Corporate servers are programmed to block unknown visitors to prevent hacking. If your server does not recognize our IP address, it will reject our connection request immediately.

How to resolve this issue:

1. Ask your IT security team to allow (whitelist) the SmartFeeds static IP address: 104.199.20.232 (or 35.240.100.24 for premium accounts).
2. Verify that your public SSH key matches the private SSH key configured inside SmartFeeds. If you change your keys, send the new public key to our support team.

• Concrete Example: Your SFTP connection fails with an "Incorrect password" error. Your credentials are correct, but your server blocks external requests. Your IT team whitelists the IP 104.199.20.232, and the connection works immediately.

Configuration and Directory Path Errors

A wrong path syntax or missing permissions will block file access (errors like "Access Denied" or directory listing ls failures).

How it works and why it matters

• What is a path? A directory path is the exact folder structure where your file is stored (like a street address with a room number).
• Why do we need correct slashes? If you forget the forward slash / at the beginning of a path, the system gets lost in your server and cannot find the correct folder.

How to resolve this issue:

1. Add the starting slash: Always put a forward slash / at the beginning of your directory paths. Write /my-folder/ instead of my-folder/.
2. Set the export directory: When sending files to our server, configure your directory path field exactly to upload.
3. Confirm your SFTP user account has read and write permissions for this folder.

• Concrete Example: Your automated export fails. You see that your configured folder path is exports/. You change it to /exports/ and the system successfully delivers your files.

File Naming and Format Errors

A FileNotFoundError occurs when SmartFeeds opens the mailbox but cannot find the file name we are looking for.

How to resolve this issue:

1. Fixed Names: Ensure the Input File Name in SmartFeeds matches your file name exactly.
2. Dated Names (Optional): If you choose to use dates for history, use the format: YYYYMMDD-FileName.csv.
3. Check that the format (XML, JSON, CSV) matches your ProductFlow settings.

• Concrete Example: Your team uploads stock.csv every day, overwriting the old file. This is perfectly fine. If they later switch to 20260522-stock.csv to keep a record of old files, you just update the config once to help SmartFeeds find the latest date.

Performance and Timeout Errors

Errors like TimeoutError or "sftp long-running too old" mean your server took too long to send us the file, or was temporarily unavailable.

How it works and why it matters

• What is a timeout? Downloading files is like carrying heavy boxes through a door. If a box is too heavy, the door closes before we finish.
• Why does file size matter? Massive catalog files (over 1 GB) require massive bandwidth. Compressing files makes them smaller so they can pass through the door easily.

How to resolve this issue:

1. If the error is temporary, SmartFeeds will try again automatically at the next scheduled time.
2. If your catalog file is very large and slows down the connection, contact our team to set up a dedicated download server.

• Concrete Example: Your 2 GB product file triggers a Timeout error during download. You compress the file to a .zip or .gz format before upload. The transfer is now four times faster and the error is resolved.

Quick Answers to Common Issues

Is a timestamp mandatory for my file names? 

No. You can use a simple, fixed file name (for example: products.csv). Timestamps are optional. They are only recommended if you want to keep a historical record of your older files on your server.

What should I do if my IP address gets blocked? 

First, check the source. Check if the blocked IP belongs to SmartFeeds (104.199.20.232). If it is our IP, ask your IT team to whitelist it. If the blocked IP belongs to an unknown source, keep it blocked to protect your server from unauthorized access attempts.

Related Article

For further assistance with SmartFeeds, consider reviewing this article:

• Data Import

For additional help, feel free to reach out via our Contact Us page.