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via SFTP calls.

The solution should only use Apache Commons VFS api and shouldn't refer to the underlying JSCH library.

The below SFTP Utility gives an example of Upload, Exist, Download, Move and Delete operations. I have used this in several of my projects. The below code uses api calls from Apache Commons VFS library only.

Please make sure that you put the following JAR's in your project's build path:

Any other compatible versions would do as well.

import java.io.File;
import org.apache.commons.vfs2.FileObject;
import org.apache.commons.vfs2.FileSystemException;
import org.apache.commons.vfs2.FileSystemOptions;
import org.apache.commons.vfs2.Selectors;
import org.apache.commons.vfs2.impl.StandardFileSystemManager;
import org.apache.commons.vfs2.provider.sftp.SftpFileSystemConfigBuilder;
 * The class SFTPUtil containing uploading, downloading, checking if file exists
 * and deleting functionality using Apache Commons VFS (Virtual File System)
 * Library
 * @author Ashok
public class SFTPUtility {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String hostName = "PutYourHostNameHere";
        String username = "PutYourUserNameForHostHere";
        String password = "PutYourPasswordForHostHere";
        String localFilePath = "C:\\FakePath\\FakeFile.txt";
        String remoteFilePath = "/FakeRemotePath/FakeRemoteFile.txt";       
        String remoteTempFilePath = "/FakeRemoteTempPath/FakeRemoteTempFile.txt";
        upload(hostName, username, password, localFilePath, remoteFilePath);
        exist(hostName, username, password, remoteFilePath);
        download(hostName, username, password, localFilePath,remoteFilePath);
        move(hostName, username, password, remoteFilePath, remoteTempFilePath);
        delete(hostName, username, password, remoteFilePath);
     * Method to upload a file in Remote server
     * @param hostName
     *            HostName of the server
     * @param username
     *            UserName to login
     * @param password
     *            Password to login
     * @param localFilePath
     *            LocalFilePath. Should contain the entire local file path -
     *            Directory and Filename with \\ as separator
     * @param remoteFilePath
     *            remoteFilePath. Should contain the entire remote file path -
     *            Directory and Filename with / as separator
    public static void upload(String hostName, String username, String password, String localFilePath, String remoteFilePath) {
        File file = new File(localFilePath);
        if (!file.exists())
            throw new RuntimeException("Error. Local file not found");
        StandardFileSystemManager manager = new StandardFileSystemManager();
        try {
            manager.init();
            // Create local file object
            FileObject localFile = manager.resolveFile(file.getAbsolutePath());
            // Create remote file object
            FileObject remoteFile = manager.resolveFile(createConnectionString(hostName, username, password, remoteFilePath), createDefaultOptions());
             * use createDefaultOptions() in place of fsOptions for all default
             * options - Ashok.
            // Copy local file to sftp server
            remoteFile.copyFrom(localFile, Selectors.SELECT_SELF);
            System.out.println("File upload success");
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw new RuntimeException(e);
        } finally {
            manager.close();
    public static boolean move(String hostName, String username, String password, String remoteSrcFilePath, String remoteDestFilePath){
        StandardFileSystemManager manager = new StandardFileSystemManager();
        try {
            manager.init();
            // Create remote object
            FileObject remoteFile = manager.resolveFile(createConnectionString(hostName, username, password, remoteSrcFilePath), createDefaultOptions());
            FileObject remoteDestFile = manager.resolveFile(createConnectionString(hostName, username, password, remoteDestFilePath), createDefaultOptions());
            if (remoteFile.exists()) {
                remoteFile.moveTo(remoteDestFile);;
                System.out.println("Move remote file success");
                return true;
            else{
                System.out.println("Source file doesn't exist");
                return false;
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw new RuntimeException(e);
        } finally {
            manager.close();
     * Method to download the file from remote server location
     * @param hostName
     *            HostName of the server
     * @param username
     *            UserName to login
     * @param password
     *            Password to login
     * @param localFilePath
     *            LocalFilePath. Should contain the entire local file path -
     *            Directory and Filename with \\ as separator
     * @param remoteFilePath
     *            remoteFilePath. Should contain the entire remote file path -
     *            Directory and Filename with / as separator
    public static void download(String hostName, String username, String password, String localFilePath, String remoteFilePath) {
        StandardFileSystemManager manager = new StandardFileSystemManager();
        try {
            manager.init();
            // Append _downlaod_from_sftp to the given file name.
            //String downloadFilePath = localFilePath.substring(0, localFilePath.lastIndexOf(".")) + "_downlaod_from_sftp" + localFilePath.substring(localFilePath.lastIndexOf("."), localFilePath.length());
            // Create local file object. Change location if necessary for new downloadFilePath
            FileObject localFile = manager.resolveFile(localFilePath);
            // Create remote file object
            FileObject remoteFile = manager.resolveFile(createConnectionString(hostName, username, password, remoteFilePath), createDefaultOptions());
            // Copy local file to sftp server
            localFile.copyFrom(remoteFile, Selectors.SELECT_SELF);
            System.out.println("File download success");
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw new RuntimeException(e);
        } finally {
            manager.close();
     * Method to delete the specified file from the remote system
     * @param hostName
     *            HostName of the server
     * @param username
     *            UserName to login
     * @param password
     *            Password to login
     * @param localFilePath
     *            LocalFilePath. Should contain the entire local file path -
     *            Directory and Filename with \\ as separator
     * @param remoteFilePath
     *            remoteFilePath. Should contain the entire remote file path -
     *            Directory and Filename with / as separator
    public static void delete(String hostName, String username, String password, String remoteFilePath) {
        StandardFileSystemManager manager = new StandardFileSystemManager();
        try {
            manager.init();
            // Create remote object
            FileObject remoteFile = manager.resolveFile(createConnectionString(hostName, username, password, remoteFilePath), createDefaultOptions());
            if (remoteFile.exists()) {
                remoteFile.delete();
                System.out.println("Delete remote file success");
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw new RuntimeException(e);
        } finally {
            manager.close();
    // Check remote file is exist function:
     * Method to check if the remote file exists in the specified remote
     * location
     * @param hostName
     *            HostName of the server
     * @param username
     *            UserName to login
     * @param password
     *            Password to login
     * @param remoteFilePath
     *            remoteFilePath. Should contain the entire remote file path -
     *            Directory and Filename with / as separator
     * @return Returns if the file exists in the specified remote location
    public static boolean exist(String hostName, String username, String password, String remoteFilePath) {
        StandardFileSystemManager manager = new StandardFileSystemManager();
        try {
            manager.init();
            // Create remote object
            FileObject remoteFile = manager.resolveFile(createConnectionString(hostName, username, password, remoteFilePath), createDefaultOptions());
            System.out.println("File exist: " + remoteFile.exists());
            return remoteFile.exists();
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw new RuntimeException(e);
        } finally {
            manager.close();
     * Generates SFTP URL connection String
     * @param hostName
     *            HostName of the server
     * @param username
     *            UserName to login
     * @param password
     *            Password to login
     * @param remoteFilePath
     *            remoteFilePath. Should contain the entire remote file path -
     *            Directory and Filename with / as separator
     * @return concatenated SFTP URL string
    public static String createConnectionString(String hostName, String username, String password, String remoteFilePath) {
        return "sftp://" + username + ":" + password + "@" + hostName + "/" + remoteFilePath;
     * Method to setup default SFTP config
     * @return the FileSystemOptions object containing the specified
     *         configuration options
     * @throws FileSystemException
    public static FileSystemOptions createDefaultOptions() throws FileSystemException {
        // Create SFTP options
        FileSystemOptions opts = new FileSystemOptions();
        // SSH Key checking
        SftpFileSystemConfigBuilder.getInstance().setStrictHostKeyChecking(opts, "no");
         * Using the following line will cause VFS to choose File System's Root
         * as VFS's root. If I wanted to use User's home as VFS's root then set
         * 2nd method parameter to "true"
        // Root directory set to user home
        SftpFileSystemConfigBuilder.getInstance().setUserDirIsRoot(opts, false);
        // Timeout is count by Milliseconds
        SftpFileSystemConfigBuilder.getInstance().setTimeout(opts, 10000);
        return opts;
                Because VFS has a dependency on JSCH and hamcrest. VFS internally uses JSCH but provides a cleaner and controlled API
– Ashok Goli
                Jul 24, 2014 at 14:53
                @Ashok, your code is clear but I got an authentication issue, I'm sure I'musing the right user/pssd, and I tested the sftp to my remote server using terminal and it works, but when using running your example, I got: cannot connect to the server, com.jcraft.jsch.JSchException: USERAUTH fail, serAuthPublicKey.java:119)
– Salim R
                Apr 30, 2015 at 15:23
                @user405458 This is not an issue in the code above. Please check if the SFTP server is started. Refer: stackoverflow.com/questions/14769164/…
– Ashok Goli
                Jul 5, 2016 at 15:37