Extend SFTPPlus MFT with dev APIs

SFTPPlus MFT provides several integration points for connecting file transfer services to the applications your organization already operates. You can keep custom business logic in a separate HTTP service, use standard APIs to exchange files, or develop a closer integration with the SFTPPlus SDK.

Authenticate users with your HTTP endpoint ​

The HTTP API authentication method delegates account authentication and configuration to an endpoint operated by your organization. This allows an existing identity service or customer database to decide whether a user can connect to SFTPPlus.

For each login, SFTPPlus sends the credentials and connection details to your HTTPS endpoint. The response can accept or reject the login and can provide account settings such as the home folder, group, virtual folders, and path permissions. Password, SSH key, and TLS certificate credentials are supported for the applicable file transfer protocols.

This approach keeps identity and authorization rules in your application while SFTPPlus handles SFTP, FTPS, HTTPS, and other file transfer protocols.

Connect event-driven workflows ​

HTTP webhooks send selected SFTPPlus events to an external endpoint. An ERP system, monitoring service, or internal application can receive a notification when a file arrives, a transfer completes, or an operation fails.

Webhooks carry event metadata rather than the file itself. This separation allows the receiving application to decide which workflow to start and whether it needs to retrieve the file.

Exchange files over HTTPS ​

Applications can use the SFTPPlus HTTP file API to list folders, upload and download files, create folders, and remove files. The service uses the same accounts, groups, permissions, and audit trail as the other file transfer protocols.

These HTTP interfaces are suitable when the integration can run as a separate service. They avoid changes inside SFTPPlus and allow each component to be deployed and updated independently.

Handle events with the Python API ​

Developers can use the Python API event handler to implement custom processing for selected SFTPPlus events. An extension can inspect the documented event details, apply application-specific logic, and emit new events with the result.

Python extensions run in separate processes, without shared memory with the main SFTPPlus process. This isolation allows event handling to use separate CPU cores and prevents extension code from directly accessing SFTPPlus internals. The API instead provides limited access to documented event data, extension configuration, and selected resources such as trusted certificates stored in the SFTPPlus vault.

Extensions have full access to the Python standard library and selected third-party libraries, including Requests and Klein. They can make additional web requests, communicate with other services, and use asynchronous code when an integration needs non-blocking network operations.

Develop with the SFTPPlus SDK ​

For requirements that cannot be addressed through the HTTP interfaces or configuration, a dedicated SFTPPlus SDK is available under an extended licence. The SDK allows customers to develop and maintain specialized integration code for their deployment.

SDK access is not included in the standard licence. Contact the SFTPPlus team to discuss the required extension, licensing, and support arrangements before planning an SDK-based integration.

Use the SDK as an alternative to source code escrow ​

Some organizations consider source code escrow to reduce the continuity risk of depending on specialized software. Depending on the continuity requirement, the SFTPPlus SDK can provide a more practical alternative by giving the organization a supported way to maintain its own integration without requiring access to the SFTPPlus product source code.

Escrow and SDK access address different legal and operational risks. Your procurement, legal, and engineering teams should confirm which arrangement is appropriate for the service being built.