SFTP

Store backups on a remote server via SSH File Transfer Protocol. Supports password, private key, and SSH agent authentication.

Configuration

Field	Description	Default	Required
Name	Friendly name for this destination	-	✅
Host	Hostname or IP of the SFTP server	-	✅
Port	SSH port	22	❌
Username	SSH username	-	✅
Auth Type	Authentication method	password	❌
Password	User password (when Auth Type = password)	-	❌
Private Key	PEM-encoded private key (when Auth Type = privateKey)	-	❌
Passphrase	Passphrase for encrypted private keys	-	❌
Path Prefix	Remote directory for backups	-	❌

Authentication Methods

Auth Type	Description
password	Username + password (default)
privateKey	SSH private key (paste PEM content directly)
agent	Use the host's SSH agent (keys loaded via ssh-add)

Setup Guide

1. Ensure the target server has SSH/SFTP enabled
2. Create a dedicated user for backups (recommended):

   sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash dbackup
   sudo mkdir -p /home/dbackup/backups
   sudo chown dbackup: /home/dbackup/backups

3. Go to Destinations → Add Destination → SFTP
4. Enter Host, Username, and select your Auth Type
5. Enter credentials (password or private key)
6. (Optional) Set Path Prefix to the remote backup directory (e.g. /home/dbackup/backups)
7. Click Test to verify the connection

Private Key Format

Paste the entire PEM key content including the -----BEGIN and -----END lines. Supports RSA, ED25519, and ECDSA keys.

How It Works

• Files are uploaded via SFTP (SSH subsystem) - all transfers are encrypted in transit
• DBackup creates subdirectories per job within the Path Prefix automatically
• All credentials (passwords, private keys) are stored AES-256-GCM encrypted in the database

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused

connect ECONNREFUSED

Solution: Verify the host and port. Ensure the SSH service is running and the port is open in the firewall.

Authentication Failed

All configured authentication methods failed

Solution: Check username/password or private key. For key auth, ensure the public key is in the server's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys and file permissions are correct (chmod 600).

Permission Denied on Write

EACCES: permission denied

Solution: Ensure the SSH user has write access to the target directory. Check ownership and file permissions on the remote server.

Host Key Verification

Host key verification failed

Solution: DBackup accepts host keys automatically on first connection. If the server was reinstalled, the host key may have changed. This is expected after server reprovisioning.

Next Steps

• Enable Encryption
• Configure Retention
• Storage Explorer