Uploading files: file manager and SFTP

The file manager in your browser is fine for a handful of files. For a big folder use SFTP. If your code is on GitHub, deploying from Git is easier than either.

The file manager

Open Files. The top folder is /home/container, and that is where your bot runs.

• Upload adds files. You can also drag them onto the page. Each file can be up to 100 MB.
• New File makes an empty file and opens it in the editor.
• Create Directory makes a folder.
• The ⋯ menu on a file has Rename, Move, Copy, Permissions, Archive, Download and Delete. Zip files get Unarchive.
• Tick several files to move, archive or delete them together.

Uploading a whole project

Folders do not upload well one file at a time. Zip the project on your computer, upload the zip, then use Unarchive on it.

Check where it unpacked. Zipping a folder often gives you my-bot/bot.py instead of bot.py at the top, and requirements.txt or package.json is only installed from the top folder. Move the contents up a level: open the folder, tick everything, press Move, and enter ../ (the location is relative to the folder you are in).

Leave these out

• venv, .venv, env or node_modules folders. They were built for your computer and do not work here. Packages are installed from requirements.txt or package.json instead.
• __pycache__ folders. Harmless, just clutter.
• A .git folder. It can be large and it may contain an old copy of your token. To use Git, set up Git deploy instead of uploading one.

SFTP

SFTP lets a program on your computer show your server's files like a normal folder. Open Settings in the panel and look at SFTP Details. You need four things:

• Host: node.snowservers.com
• Port: 2022 (not 22)
• Username: the one shown in SFTP Details. It looks like yourname-a1b2c3.1a2b3c4d, your panel username, a dot, then the server's ID.
• Password: your control panel password.

Launch SFTP in the panel opens your computer's default SFTP program with these filled in, if you have one set up.

FileZilla (Windows, Mac, Linux)

1. Install FileZilla Client from filezilla-project.org. Decline any bundled offers during setup.
2. Open File → Site Manager → New site.
3. Protocol: SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol. Host: node.snowservers.com. Port: 2022.
4. Logon Type: Normal. Enter the username and password from above.
5. Press Connect and accept the host key the first time.

Your server's files appear on the right. Drag files across from the left.

WinSCP (Windows)

New Session, File protocol SFTP, host node.snowservers.com, port 2022, then the username and password. Save it so you do not type it again.

From a terminal

sftp -P 2022 [email protected]

After uploading

Your bot only reads its files when it starts, so press Restart on the Console page to run the new code.

Something here wrong or out of date? Tell us and it gets fixed.