n8n-nodes-ftp-tls

This is an n8n community node that extends the native FTP node with TLS/FTPS support. It provides secure file transfer capabilities using:

• FTP - Standard File Transfer Protocol
• FTPS (Explicit) - FTP with explicit TLS encryption
• FTPS (Implicit) - FTP with implicit TLS encryption
• SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol

Installation

Follow the installation guide in the n8n community nodes documentation.

Community Nodes (Recommended)

1. Go to Settings > Community Nodes.
2. Select Install.
3. Enter n8n-nodes-ftp-tls in Enter npm package name.
4. Agree to the risks of using community nodes: select I understand the risks of installing unverified code from a public source.
5. Select Install.

After installing the node, you can use it like any other node in n8n.

npm

npm install n8n-nodes-ftp-tls

Features

Supported Protocols

• FTP: Standard unencrypted FTP
• FTPS (Explicit): FTP with explicit TLS (starts unencrypted, then upgrades to TLS)
• FTPS (Implicit): FTP with implicit TLS (encrypted from the start)
• SFTP: SSH File Transfer Protocol

Supported Operations

• List: List files and folders in a directory
• Download: Download files from the server
• Upload: Upload files to the server
• Delete: Delete files or folders
• Rename: Rename or move files and folders

TLS/SSL Configuration

• Security Mode: Choose between strict and legacy SSL/TLS handling
• SSL Certificate Validation: Option to ignore SSL certificate errors
• Custom Ports: Support for custom ports (FTP: 21, FTPS Implicit: 990, SFTP: 22)

Configuration

Credentials

Create a new credential of type FTP/FTPS with TLS:

Basic Settings

• Host: FTP server hostname or IP address
• Port: Connection port (defaults: FTP=21, FTPS Implicit=990, SFTP=22)
• Username: FTP username
• Password: FTP password

Protocol Settings

• Protocol: Choose from:
  • FTP (standard, unencrypted)
  • FTPS (Explicit) - recommended for secure connections
  • FTPS (Implicit) - for servers requiring implicit TLS
  • SFTP - for SSH-based file transfer

Security Settings (FTPS only)

• Security:
  • Strict (recommended) - uses modern TLS protocols
  • Legacy - for compatibility with older servers
• Ignore SSL Issues: Enable to bypass SSL certificate validation

SFTP Settings

• Private Key: SSH private key for key-based authentication
• Passphrase: Passphrase for encrypted private keys

Advanced Settings

• Timeout: Connection timeout in milliseconds (default: 10000)

Node Configuration

Operations

List Operation

• Path: Directory path to list
• Recursive: Enable to list subdirectories recursively

Download Operation

• Path: Remote file path to download
• Property Name: Name of the binary property to store the file

Upload Operation

• Path: Remote path where the file will be uploaded
• Binary File: Toggle for binary vs text content
• File Content: Text content (if not binary)
• Property Name: Binary property name (if binary)

Delete Operation

• Path: Path to file or folder to delete
• Recursive: Enable to delete folders recursively

Rename Operation

• Path: Current path of the file/folder
• New Path: New path for the file/folder

Examples

Basic FTP Connection

{
  "host": "ftp.example.com",
  "port": 21,
  "username": "user",
  "password": "password",
  "protocol": "ftp"
}

FTPS (Explicit) Connection

{
  "host": "secure.example.com",
  "port": 21,
  "username": "user",
  "password": "password",
  "protocol": "ftps-explicit",
  "security": "strict",
  "ignoreSSLIssues": false
}

SFTP Connection with Key Authentication

{
  "host": "sftp.example.com",
  "port": 22,
  "username": "user",
  "protocol": "sftp",
  "privateKey": "-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----\n...\n-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----",
  "passphrase": "key-passphrase"
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. SSL Certificate Errors: Enable "Ignore SSL Issues" in credentials for testing
2. Connection Timeout: Increase timeout value in credentials
3. Port Issues: Ensure correct ports (FTP: 21, FTPS Implicit: 990, SFTP: 22)
4. Authentication Failures: Verify username/password or private key setup

Debug Tips

• Test with FTP first, then upgrade to FTPS
• Check server logs for connection attempts
• Verify firewall settings allow the connection
• Use explicit FTPS before trying implicit FTPS

Development

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• npm 8+
• n8n installed

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/techbrainpt/n8n-nodes-ftp-tls.git
cd n8n-nodes-ftp-tls

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Lint the code
npm run lint

# Format the code
npm run format

Testing

To test the node locally:

1. Link the package: npm link
2. In your n8n installation: npm link n8n-nodes-ftp-tls
3. Restart n8n

Dependencies

• basic-ftp - FTP/FTPS client
• ssh2-sftp-client - SFTP client

License

MIT

Support

For issues and questions:

• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/techbrainpt/n8n-nodes-ftp-tls/issues
• n8n Community: https://community.n8n.io/

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read the contributing guidelines and submit pull requests.

Changelog

1.0.0

• Initial release
• Support for FTP, FTPS (Explicit/Implicit), and SFTP
• All basic operations (list, download, upload, delete, rename)
• TLS/SSL configuration options
• Private key authentication for SFTP