# SFTP Download

<!-- meta: type=sftp-download; location=Connectors › SFTP; category=Step (action); platforms=Joomla and WordPress (where applicable) -->

## Overview

SFTP Download is a **Step (action)** in **Connectors › SFTP**. Downloads a file from a remote SFTP server into your flow.

When the flow reaches this step, JOrchestrator executes **SFTP Download** against your linked site or an external integration, using the field values you set on **General** and **Design**. Downstream steps can read the output payload fields defined for this node.

## Why use this node

SFTP Download is a **action step** in the **Connectors › SFTP** group. Action steps run in the middle or end of a flow. They perform work on your CMS, call external services, or transform data for the next step.

Typical reasons teams add **SFTP Download** to a flow:

- Automate "SFTP Download" as part of a larger Joomla or WordPress workflow
- Replace manual sftp work with a repeatable, logged flow step
- Chain with triggers, logic, and messaging nodes on the same canvas

## Example workflows

Common patterns on the canvas:

1. **Trigger or Webhook** → upstream steps → **SFTP Download** → **Send Email** or CMS update
2. **Scheduled trigger** → **SFTP Download** → **Debug** (while testing) → production action

## How to set it up

Enter host, credentials, and remote path on the Design tab.

## Good to know

Body encoding can be auto, text, or base64.

## Properties panel

The designer shows these tabs for this node:

| Tab | Purpose |
|-----|---------|
| **Info** | Plain-language description and output payload fields for downstream steps |
| **General** | Canvas label and read-only node ID |
| **AI** | Optional assistant to help draft settings from plain language |
| **Design** | Node-specific configuration fields |

### System (automatic — not edited by the user)

These fields are managed by the designer or runtime — you do not type into them directly:

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `_nodeId` | Node ID | `node-id` | No | — | — |
| `_payloadFields` | Available Fields | `payload-panel` | No | — | — |

### User-configured — General tab

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `label` | Label | `text` | No | — | Node label |

### User-configured — Design tab

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `timeoutSeconds` | Timeout (seconds) | `number` (default: `30`) | No | — | — |
| `remotePath` | Remote path | `payload-text` | **Yes** | — | /path/to/file.txt |
| `bodyEncoding` | Response body encoding | `select` (`auto` \| `text` \| `base64`; default: `auto`) | No | — | — |

### CMS-backed (options from the linked site)

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `sftpSiteId` | SFTP site | `sftp-site-select` | **Yes** | — | Required. Choose a site preset saved under Node Configuration → Nodes → SFTP in Joomla or WordPress. |

### CMS site configuration (not on this node's properties panel)

Credentials, API keys, mailers, SMTP, and integration defaults are configured in the CMS plugin under **Node Configuration**, not per step on this node. Link the flow to a domain before testing CMS-backed fields.

## Output payload fields

After this step runs, later nodes can reference these fields using placeholders such as
`{{sftp_download.success}}`.

| Field key | Type | Description |
|-----------|------|-------------|
| `success` | boolean | Whether the operation completed successfully. |
| `host` | string | Text value from this node's output. |
| `remotePath` | string | Text value from this node's output. |
| `body` | string | Downloaded file content as text or base64. |
| `bodyEncoding` | string | text or base64 — how body is encoded. |
| `byteLength` | number | Size of retrieved content in bytes. |
| `message` | string | Human-readable status, error, or result summary. |

## Validation rules

- **Remote path** (`remotePath`) must be filled before the flow can be saved.

## Related nodes

Other steps in the same area of the palette:

- **SFTP Delete** (`sftp-delete`) — Connectors › SFTP
- **SFTP List** (`sftp-list`) — Connectors › SFTP
- **SFTP Upload** (`sftp-upload`) — Connectors › SFTP