It is used in the SFTP client instead of a password and is a way to protect your connections from stolen passwords.

To connect to your server using SFTP, you’ll first need to obtain the private key. The process is essentially the same for both, with just a few subtle differences between the Nova and Cyberduck interfaces. We’re going to tell you how to connect to Lightsail using Nova and Cyberduck since they are both popular options, plus we’ll be using the Terminal application in a Mac OS environment. If you’re just looking for a free SFTP client, then Cyberduck is hard to beat and easy on the wallet. If you’re looking for an excellent way to write code and be connected to your server environment at the same time, then Nova is an amazing choice, albeit not free. It includes support for SSH/SFTP, FTP, Amazon S3, WebDAV HTTPS, Amazon S3 with IAM Role, Backblaze B2, Box, DreamObjects, DropBox, FTP with Implicit SSL, FTP with TLS/SSL, Google Drive, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, OpenStack Swift, Rackpsace Cloud Files and WebDAV. The huge time-saver with this software is that you can edit files all within the Nova interface, without needing to switch to another application. Nova is a text editor with built-in support for many programming languages – 27 to be exact, plus plain text. However, it’s not a text editor, so you’ll need to edit your files in another application. It supports other protocols and cloud storage systems as well, such as FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, OpenStack Swift, Backblaze B2, Microsoft Azure,, OneDrive, Google Drive, and DropBox.

Two of our favourites are Cyberduck (Mac OS and Windows) and Nova (Mac OS).Ĭyberduck is available for free, so it tends to be a popular option if all you’re looking for is an SFTP client.

There’s many different clients available and most support SFTP. It allows server-to-server transfers between your and your Lightsail instance in a safe way, allowing you to upload, download or edit files securely on your Lightsail server. To do that, you need to connect to your Lightsail instance using SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol or Secure File Transfer Protocol), which is a more secure option than traditional FTP (File Transfer Protocol). If you’re running an Amazon Lightsail instance, chances are that you’ll want to edit files directly on the server.

Total commander sftp connection