File management overview

Alpacon’s WebFTP is a web-based file transfer solution that allows you to easily access and manage file systems on registered remote servers through a web browser. No external FTP client installations required—just use your browser for secure file operations.

What is WebFTP?

WebFTP provides intuitive, browser-based file management for your servers. Upload, download, and manipulate files in a seamless interface without installing additional software.

Key features

1. Visual file and directory navigation

  • Browse full directory structure in tree view
  • Quick path navigation with clickable breadcrumbs
  • Instant file preview and information
  • Multi-column layout for efficient browsing

2. Local-to-server file upload

  • Upload files or folders from local device
  • Drag-and-drop support
  • Multiple file selection
  • Progress tracking for large uploads
  • Automatic retry on failed uploads

3. Server-to-local file download

  • Download files or folders to local machine
  • Batch download support
  • Compressed folder downloads
  • Resume interrupted downloads
  • Progress indicators

4. Basic file operations

  • Execute common Linux file commands
  • Copy files and directories (cp)
  • Move files and directories (mv)
  • Remove files and directories (rm)
  • Create new directories (mkdir)
  • Rename files and folders
  • Change permissions (chmod)

Highlights and benefits

Web-based interface:

  • No separate FTP client installation
  • Works directly in browser
  • Cross-platform compatibility
  • Familiar UI/UX patterns

Integrated with server management:

  • Automatically linked with registered servers
  • Group-based access control
  • Same authentication as other Alpacon features
  • Unified workspace experience

Secure transfers:

  • Encrypted via Alpamon agent
  • TLS-secured communication channels
  • Audit logs for all operations
  • Permission-based file access

User-friendly UX:

  • Drag-and-drop file uploads
  • Multi-selection support
  • Instant file previews
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Responsive design

Security features

Authentication and authorization:

  • Workspace member authentication required
  • Group-based server access
  • File system permissions respected
  • Read-only mode available

Encrypted communication:

  • All transfers encrypted via TLS
  • Secure WebSocket connections
  • Data integrity verification
  • No cleartext transmission

Audit logging:

  • All file operations logged
  • User activity tracking
  • Timestamp and IP recording
  • Compliance support

Permission management:

  • Linux file permissions enforced
  • User/group ownership preserved
  • chmod support for permission changes
  • Safe defaults for new files

Common use cases

Configuration management:

  • Upload configuration files
  • Edit server configs
  • Backup important files
  • Deploy application configs

Application deployment:

  • Upload application code
  • Deploy static assets
  • Transfer build artifacts
  • Update application files

Log analysis:

  • Download log files
  • Archive old logs
  • Transfer logs for analysis
  • Backup critical logs

Content management:

  • Upload media files
  • Manage static content
  • Update website assets
  • Organize document libraries

Backup and recovery:

  • Download backups
  • Upload restore files
  • Archive important data
  • Disaster recovery operations

Account selection

When opening WebFTP, you choose which account to use on the remote server—either your own Alpacon account or a system account (if you have sudo privilege).

For details on account types, sudo privilege, and MFA authentication, see Account selection.

Getting started

Ready to start managing files?

  1. Upload files
  2. Download files
  3. Manage files and folders
  4. Set file permissions