NetCommander

FTP/SFTP File Provider for iOS and iPadOS

Aren't you tired of a new app for each cloud service you want to use?

If so, this product can help you, at least for FTP/SFTP services, as this is NOT yet another FTP Client. Instead, it adds the ability to use FTP/SFTP services to your device operating system. With that, you can use FTP/SFTP files in many places and apps - in the Files, Mail, Numbers, Pages, Keynote, GarageBand, and many other apps that integrate with the operating system in the right way.

Technically Speaking ...

NetCommander consists of two parts:

  • the NetCommander app

  • the NetCommander File Provider for the operating system

Supported Protocols

The NetCommander app you use to manage your remote connections. You can create, modify, test, or delete connections to the following services:

  • FTP - plain old file transfer protocol without any encryption

  • FTPS - FTP over SSL (encrypted)

  • FTPES - explicit FTP over SSL (encrypted) - modern services use this protocol

  • SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol (encrypted) - most Linux/Unix servers with SSH enabled also support this

SFTP connections can use a password or key authentication.

In the app, you can also create folders and organize your connection (for instance, you can make a folder 'home' and keep there all the connections, that work only where you are in your local network and 'internet' for the connections that work everywhere.

If you have multiple mobile devices, your connections will be synchronized between them using iCloud. The credentials synchronize via Shared Keychain. You can opt-out by changing the app settings.

FTP/SFTP File Provider for iOS and iPadOS

The second part of the product is NetCommander File Provider.


It works as a plugin for the operating system allowing it to get access to files in supported servers (see the list above). After it gets activated, you will see the NetCommander item in the Files app, and when you select it, you will be able to browse and manage files from FTP/SFTP servers you configured.


You can use almost all the features that the Files app offers:

  • browsing files and directories

  • displaying files with supported formats (incl. images, movies, documents, and more)

  • downloading and uploading files

  • making folders

  • copying, moving, duplicating files and folders

  • compressing and uncompressing

  • converting supported formats to PDF

  • tagging files

  • adding folders to favorites

  • showing recently used files

Integration with Apps

And that is not all! You will be able to take advantage of FTP/SFTP files in all the applications that read and write files via the operating system. That includes:

  • adding and storing attachments in Mail

  • export photos from Photos, and Camera

  • loading and saving documents in Numbers, Pages, and Keynote

  • loading and saving songs in GarageBand

  • saving web pages as PDF or Web Archive in Safari

  • importing and exporting projects in iMovie

  • saving recordings in Voice Memos

  • and more!

Works on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

Limitations

Now, nothing is perfect, so I'd like you to know about some minor limitations:

* there is no progress bar when you are downloading or uploading FTP/SFTP files - currently, the API only allows for that when using HTTP/HTTPS

* because of the lack of progress, the product is not so perfect for handling big files (it expects the user to be patient ...)

* the Search bar in Files only works for files indexed by Spotlight, in other words, they must be included in Recents - that makes it not very useful