How to use SFTP in PowerShell

How to use SFTP in PowerShell

SFTP, or Secure File Transfer Protocol, is a network protocol that provides secure file transfer capabilities over a secure shell (SSH) connection.

It is commonly used in situations where secure, reliable file transfer is required, such as transferring sensitive data or large files over the internet.

Install SSH-Sessions module

In PowerShell, you can use SFTP to transfer files by using the SSH-Sessions module, which provides a set of cmdlets for working with SSH connections and sessions.

To use the SSH-Sessions module, you first need to install it by using the Install-Module cmdlet, like this:

Install-Module -Name SSH-Sessions

Create a new SFTP session

Once the SSH-Sessions module is installed, you can use the New-SFTPSession cmdlet to create a new SFTP session, like this:

$session = New-SFTPSession -ComputerName <hostname> -Username <username> -KeyFilePath <path to SSH key>

In this example, the New-SFTPSession cmdlet creates a new SFTP session to the specified hostname using the specified username and SSH key.

The $session variable stores the SFTP session object, which you can use to transfer files.

Trasnfer files

To transfer files using SFTP, you can use the Copy-SFTPAsset cmdlet, which copies files from the local system to the remote SFTP server, or vice versa.

For example, to transfer a file from the local system to the remote SFTP server, you can use the Copy-SFTPAsset cmdlet like this:

Copy-SFTPAsset -Session $session -LocalPath <path to local file> -RemotePath <path to remote file>

In this example, the Copy-SFTPAsset cmdlet copies the specified local file to the specified remote file on the SFTP server.

Alternatively, you can use the Get-SFTPAsset and Set-SFTPAsset cmdlets to transfer files from the remote SFTP server to the local system, like this:

$file = Get-SFTPAsset -Session $session -RemotePath <path to remote file>
Set-SFTPAsset -Session $session -LocalPath <path to local file> -InputObject $file

In this example, the Get-SFTPAsset cmdlet retrieves the specified remote file from the SFTP server and stores it in the $file variable.

The Set-SFTPAsset cmdlet then copies the $file variable to the specified local file.

Once you have finished transferring files using SFTP, you can close the SFTP session by using the Close-SFTPSession cmdlet, like this:

Close-SFTPSession -Session $session

Conclusion

SFTP is a useful network protocol for securely transferring files in PowerShell.

By using the SSH-Sessions module, you can easily create SFTP sessions and transfer files to and from a remote SFTP server.

This can help you automate file transfer tasks and improve your productivity.