Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is a network protocol that allows for the secure transfer of data over a private internet connection. Unlike its predecessor, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), SFTP encrypts both the command and data channels, ensuring that passwords and sensitive data remain confidential.

• Security: SFTP ensures that your data remains encrypted during transit, protecting it from eavesdroppers and potential hacks.
• File Integrity: With its built-in mechanisms, SFTP checks the integrity of the files being transferred, ensuring that they remain unchanged during the transfer process.
• Flexibility: Allows for simultaneous transfer of multiple files and supports resuming interrupted transfers.

Generating your keypair

Before you gain access to the server, you must first generate a private and public keypair. If the machine you are using to generate the key is running Microsoft Windows, PuTTYGen is likely the best option.

Security Note: Apkudo needs only the PUBLIC key, it is critical to ensure you keep your private key and never share its contents. This key will act as your login mechanism in order to authenticate to the server.

Using the command line

ed25519 (recommended)

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -b 256 -C "<YOUR_EMAIL>" -f mrc-sftp

rsa (legacy)

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "<YOUR_EMAIL>" -f mrc-sftp

Using PuTTYGen

PuTTYgen is an integral part of the PuTTY suite of tools. It is used for generating and managing SSH keys for the PuTTY SSH client. With PuTTYgen, you can generate various types of key pairs (RSA, DSA, ECDSA, and Ed25519) and also convert the keys to different formats suitable for other applications like OpenSSH.

1. Visit the official PuTTY download page: https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html
2. Look for the "Package files" section. Download the .msi file corresponding to your system architecture (either 32-bit or 64-bit).
3. Run the downloaded .msi file and follow the installation prompts.
4. Once installed, you can access PuTTYgen from the Start menu or the directory where you've installed PuTTY.

Generating an Ed25519 Key Pair

1. Open PuTTYgen.
2. For "Type of key to generate", select "Ed25519".
3. Click the "Generate" button.
4. Move your mouse randomly in the blank area to generate some entropy until the key generation completes.
5. You'll see your public key displayed in the "Key" section. To save the private key, click "Save private key". It's advised to secure it with a passphrase for added security.

Converting the Key to OpenSSH Format for Sharing the Public Key

1. Once the key pair is generated, you'll see the public key in the main window of PuTTYgen.
2. In the "Conversions" menu at the top, select "Export OpenSSH key". This will export the private key in the OpenSSH format. Save it safely.
3. For the public key, simply copy the text from the main window (which starts with ssh-ed25519) and save it to a .pub file or share it as needed.

Share your public key with Apkudo

Please navigate to the Apkudo Support Page and submit a new ticket:
In a few words, what do you need help with?: SFTP Credentials

How can we help? Please give us more details.: <Contents of your public key>

Connecting to the SFTP server

After you've shared your public key with Apkudo, you will get a response confirming the configuration is complete and a user account will be assigned to you.

Server information

Connecting with the command line

sftp -i <~/path/to/your_private_key> [email protected]

Connecting with FileZilla

Prerequisites:

Ensure you have the FileZilla Client installed. If not, download it from the official website: https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=client
Private Key: You should have the private key from the above step Generating your key pair.