October 13, 2024

Python pysftp Module

The pysftp module in Python is used for SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) operations. It provides a simple interface for connecting to an SFTP server and performing file operations such as uploading, downloading, and listing files.

1. Installation

To use pysftp, you need to install it first. You can install it using pip:

pip install pysftp
    

2. Basic Usage

Here’s a basic example of how to use pysftp to connect to an SFTP server and perform some operations:

import pysftp

# Define the SFTP server credentials
hostname = 'example.com'
username = 'your_username'
password = 'your_password'

# Create an SFTP connection
with pysftp.Connection(host=hostname, username=username, password=password) as sftp:
    # List files in the remote directory
    print("Files in remote directory:")
    print(sftp.listdir('/remote/directory'))

    # Download a file from the remote server
    sftp.get('/remote/directory/remote_file.txt', 'local_file.txt')

    # Upload a file to the remote server
    sftp.put('local_file_to_upload.txt', '/remote/directory/remote_file_to_upload.txt')
    

3. Key Methods

  • Connection(host, username, password): Creates an SFTP connection to the specified host using the provided credentials.
  • listdir(path): Lists files and directories in the specified remote path.
  • get(remote_path, local_path): Downloads a file from the remote server to the local path.
  • put(local_path, remote_path): Uploads a file from the local path to the remote server.
  • mkdir(path): Creates a new directory on the remote server.
  • rmdir(path): Removes a directory on the remote server.
  • remove(path): Deletes a file on the remote server.

4. Advanced Usage

For more advanced usage, such as using SSH keys for authentication or handling errors, you can refer to the following example:

import pysftp

# Define the SFTP server credentials
hostname = 'example.com'
username = 'your_username'
private_key = '/path/to/private/key'

# Create an SFTP connection using SSH key
with pysftp.Connection(host=hostname, username=username, private_key=private_key) as sftp:
    try:
        # List files in the remote directory
        print("Files in remote directory:")
        print(sftp.listdir('/remote/directory'))
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {e}")
    

5. Conclusion

The pysftp module provides a convenient way to interact with SFTP servers in Python. It supports common file operations and can be used with both password-based and key-based authentication. For more advanced features and detailed documentation, refer to the pysftp documentation.