File Transfer Triggers

File transfer triggers send your files to remote servers using standard transfer protocols. After your automation extracts data and saves it to a file, these triggers upload that file to a server where your team, clients, or downstream systems can access it.

RTILA X supports three file transfer protocols:

Trigger	Protocol	Best For
SFTP	SSH File Transfer Protocol	Secure transfers to Linux/Unix servers
FTPS	FTP over SSL/TLS	Secure transfers to FTP servers
WebDAV	Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning	Transfers to web servers, cloud drives

SFTP

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) transfers files over an encrypted SSH connection. It is the most secure and widely used method for transferring files to servers.

Description

The SFTP trigger connects to a remote server via SSH and uploads a file. The connection is encrypted end-to-end, making it safe for transferring sensitive data. SFTP is the preferred method for transferring files to Linux servers, VPS instances, and any server with SSH access.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
hostname	string	✅ Yes	—	The hostname or IP address of the SFTP server. Example: sftp.example.com or 192.168.1.100
port	integer	No	22	The SSH port. Default is 22. Some servers use custom ports.
username	string	✅ Yes	—	Your SSH username.
password	string	No	—	Your SSH password. Use this OR a private key, not both.
private_key_path	string	No	—	The path to your SSH private key file. Use this OR a password, not both.
private_key_passphrase	string	No	—	The passphrase for your private key, if it has one.
local_path	string	✅ Yes	—	The path to the file you want to upload. Relative to RTILA’s output directory.
remote_path	string	✅ Yes	—	The destination path on the remote server. Example: /home/user/data/products.csv

Authentication Methods

SFTP supports two authentication methods:

Method	Parameters to Use	Security Level
Password	username + password	Good
Private Key	username + private_key_path (+ optional private_key_passphrase)	Best

Tip: Private key authentication is more secure than password authentication. If your server supports it, use a private key.

Examples

Upload with password:

{
  "hostname": "sftp.example.com",
  "port": 22,
  "username": "deploy",
  "password": "your-ssh-password",
  "local_path": "output/products.csv",
  "remote_path": "/home/deploy/data/products_${date}.csv"
}

Upload with private key:

{
  "hostname": "192.168.1.100",
  "port": 2222,
  "username": "deploy",
  "private_key_path": "/home/user/.ssh/id_rsa",
  "private_key_passphrase": "key-passphrase",
  "local_path": "output/data.json",
  "remote_path": "/var/data/incoming/data.json"
}

Behavior Notes

• The connection is encrypted using SSH. Your data and credentials are safe during transfer.
• If the remote directory doesn’t exist, the upload will fail. Make sure the destination directory exists on the server.
• If the remote file already exists, it will be overwritten.
• The local_path is relative to RTILA X’s output directory.
• The remote_path is the full path on the remote server (e.g., /home/user/data/file.csv).

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FTPS

FTPS (FTP over SSL/TLS) transfers files over an encrypted FTP connection. It is commonly used with traditional FTP servers that have been upgraded to support encryption.

Description

The FTPS trigger connects to an FTP server using SSL/TLS encryption and uploads a file. FTPS is widely used in enterprise environments and with traditional hosting providers.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
hostname	string	✅ Yes	—	The hostname or IP address of the FTPS server. Example: ftp.example.com
port	integer	No	21	The FTP port. Default is 21. Some servers use port 990 for implicit FTPS.
username	string	✅ Yes	—	Your FTP username.
password	string	✅ Yes	—	Your FTP password.
local_path	string	✅ Yes	—	The path to the file you want to upload. Relative to RTILA’s output directory.
remote_path	string	✅ Yes	—	The destination path on the remote server. Example: /uploads/products.csv

FTPS Ports

Port	Mode	Description
21	Explicit FTPS	The standard FTP port with TLS upgrade. Most common.
990	Implicit FTPS	TLS is required from the start. Less common.

Tip: Most FTP servers use port 21 with explicit FTPS. If your connection fails on port 21, try port 990.

Examples

Upload with explicit FTPS (port 21):

{
  "hostname": "ftp.example.com",
  "port": 21,
  "username": "ftpuser",
  "password": "ftp-password",
  "local_path": "output/products.csv",
  "remote_path": "/uploads/products_${date}.csv"
}

Upload with implicit FTPS (port 990):

{
  "hostname": "secure.example.com",
  "port": 990,
  "username": "ftpuser",
  "password": "ftp-password",
  "local_path": "output/data.json",
  "remote_path": "/incoming/data.json"
}

Behavior Notes

• The connection is encrypted using SSL/TLS.
• If the remote directory doesn’t exist, the upload will fail.
• If the remote file already exists, it will be overwritten.
• FTPS is different from SFTP. SFTP uses SSH; FTPS uses FTP with TLS. They are not interchangeable.
• If your server uses plain FTP (no encryption), RTILA X does not support it. Use SFTP instead.

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WebDAV

WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) transfers files over HTTP/HTTPS. It is commonly used with cloud storage services, web servers, and content management systems.

Description

The WebDAV trigger uploads a file to a WebDAV server using HTTP/HTTPS. WebDAV is supported by many cloud storage providers (Nextcloud, ownCloud, Box, etc.) and web servers (Apache, Nginx with WebDAV module).

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
webdav_url	string	✅ Yes	—	The full WebDAV URL. Example: https://cloud.example.com/remote.php/dav/files/user/
username	string	No	—	Your WebDAV username. Leave empty if no authentication is required.
password	string	No	—	Your WebDAV password. Leave empty if no authentication is required.
local_path	string	✅ Yes	—	The path to the file you want to upload. Relative to RTILA’s output directory.
remote_path	string	✅ Yes	—	The destination path on the WebDAV server. Example: /reports/products.csv

Common WebDAV URLs

Service	WebDAV URL Format
Nextcloud	https://your-domain.com/remote.php/dav/files/username/
ownCloud	https://your-domain.com/remote.php/dav/files/username/
Box	https://dav.box.com/dav/
Yandex Disk	https://webdav.yandex.com/
Apache WebDAV	https://your-server.com/webdav/
Nginx WebDAV	https://your-server.com/dav/

Examples

Upload to Nextcloud:

{
  "webdav_url": "https://cloud.company.com/remote.php/dav/files/john/",
  "username": "john",
  "password": "nextcloud-password",
  "local_path": "output/products.csv",
  "remote_path": "/reports/products_${date}.csv"
}

Upload to a generic WebDAV server:

{
  "webdav_url": "https://files.company.com/webdav/",
  "username": "deploy",
  "password": "webdav-password",
  "local_path": "output/data.json",
  "remote_path": "/incoming/data.json"
}

Behavior Notes

• WebDAV uses HTTP/HTTPS, so it works through most firewalls and proxies.
• If the remote directory doesn’t exist, some WebDAV servers will create it automatically. Others will fail.
• If the remote file already exists, it will be overwritten.
• Authentication is optional. Some WebDAV servers allow anonymous access.
• WebDAV is slower than SFTP for large files but is more universally accessible.

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Choosing the Right Protocol

Scenario	Recommended Protocol	Why
Transferring to a Linux/VPS server	SFTP	Most secure, universally available on Linux
Transferring to a traditional hosting provider	FTPS	Most hosting providers support FTPS
Transferring to a cloud drive (Nextcloud, Box)	WebDAV	Native WebDAV support
Maximum security	SFTP with private key	SSH encryption with key-based auth
Behind a restrictive firewall	WebDAV	Uses HTTP/HTTPS, works through most firewalls
Large files (1 GB+)	SFTP	Faster than WebDAV for large transfers
No SSH access available	FTPS or WebDAV	Alternatives when SSH is not available

Combining File Triggers with File Transfer

A common workflow combines file format triggers with file transfer triggers:

Example: Export → Compress → Upload

1. Export to File — Export data to CSV: output/products.csv
2. Compress File — Compress to ZIP: output/products.zip
3. SFTP — Upload to server: remote_path: /data/products.zip

Example: Export → Convert → Upload

1. Export to File — Export data to JSON: output/data.json
2. Convert Format — Convert to Parquet: output/data.parquet
3. SFTP — Upload to server: remote_path: /data/data.parquet

Security Best Practices

Practice	Why It Matters
Use SFTP over FTPS when possible	SSH encryption is generally considered more secure
Use private key authentication	More secure than passwords; keys can’t be brute-forced
Never store passwords in plain text	Use RTILA’s secure variable storage for sensitive credentials
Use TLS/SSL for all transfers	Never transfer files over unencrypted connections
Restrict server permissions	Give the transfer user only the permissions it needs
Use dedicated transfer accounts	Don’t use your main server account for file transfers
Monitor transfer logs	Check server logs regularly for unauthorized access attempts