1 of 100

Couchdrop Knowledge Base

Get Started

Set up an SFTP user & endpoint

Set up an SFTP endpoint and receive your first file using Couchdrop-hosted storage.

Introduction

When you create a Couchdrop trial, Couchdrop-hosted storage is automatically set up in the region selected during signup.

In this guide, you will create an SFTP user, connect to your Couchdrop SFTP endpoint, and upload your first file.

The admin user created during signup is the account owner.

Account owners do not have file transfer access enabled by default. We recommend leaving this unchanged and creating a separate user for SFTP access.

Create an SFTP user

In Couchdrop, select:

+ Create → Create SFTP or FTP User

Select SFTP User.

For Username, use the autogenerated username or enter your own.

For Root directory, select the root directory in the folder picker.

For Password, select Autogenerated Password.

Leave Public and Automatic RSA Key creation disabled for this guide.

Click Create user.

Couchdrop displays the new user's:

Username
Password
SFTP endpoint

Open your SFTP client and connect using:

Setting

Value

Open File Browser in Couchdrop.

Your test file should appear in the root directory.

You can also open Activity to confirm the upload.

You now have a working SFTP endpoint and have received your first file through Couchdrop.

Next, connect your existing storage so files can be delivered directly to the platform where they need to live.

Build your first automation

Automations let Couchdrop handle repetitive file operations without scripts or manual work.

Introduction

Automations let Couchdrop perform file operations when a defined event occurs.

In this guide, you will create an automation that runs when a file is uploaded, renames the file, and moves it into a folder based on the upload date.

Creating an automation in Couchdrop

To complete this guide, you will need:

Administrator access to your Couchdrop account
A folder you can upload a test file to

Create an automation

In Couchdrop, select:

+ Create → Create Automation

Enter a name for the automation, for example:

Organize uploaded files

Select the for when a file is uploaded.

Set the source to the folder you want Couchdrop to monitor.

For this guide, use the connected storage folder you configured in the previous step.

Add a Rename .

Set the new filename format. For example:

{TIMESTAMP}_{EXISTING_NAME}

Use the variable picker in the Automation Builder to insert .

Add a Move action after the rename step.

Set the destination folder using date variables:

/{YYYY}/{MM}/{DD}/

For example, a file uploaded on July 27, 2026 moves to:

/2026/07/27/

Couchdrop creates the folder path if it does not already exist.

Review the trigger and actions.

Enable Automation Enabled.

Upload a small test file to the source folder.

Open File Browser, or check your underlying storage, and confirm the file:

Has been renamed
Has moved to the correct date folder

Open Activity to confirm each automation step completed successfully.

You now have a working end-to-end flow:

SFTP upload → connected storage → automation

From here, you can build automations for other file transfer workflows using different triggers, actions, and storage locations.

Managed File Transfer

Inbound SFTP connections

Learn about using Couchdrop as an alternative to traditional SFTP servers

How it works

Couchdrop acts as an SFTP server to deploy hyper-scale, secure, cloud-hosted SFTP endpoints that connect directly to your existing storage without deploying or maintaining SFTP infrastructure.

Your cloud SFTP service and endpoint are enabled automatically when you first set up your Couchdrop account. To use it, create an SFTP user and assign their home folder, also known as root directory.

The root directory determines which files and folders the user can access. It can point to Couchdrop hosted storage or cloud and on-prem storage connected to Couchdrop.

Connection details

Couchdrop uses the default ports for SFTP and a unique hostname for your tenant.

Parameter

Value

This could be a standalone SFTP client, such as FileZilla or Cyberduck, or an SFTP connection configured within another product, service, or platform, such as NetSuite or Salesforce.

Enter the connection details for your Couchdrop SFTP user:

Your Couchdrop hostname

Couchdrop provides a public host key that can be used to verify the authenticity of the endpoint you are connecting to. This key is static and we do not expect it to change in the future.

The host key for all Couchdrop endpoints

FTP and FTPS

Couchdrop supports FTP and FTPS for organizations that need to keep legacy file transfer workflows running while moving away from legacy FTP infrastructure. Receive and send files over FTP or FTPS, connect those transfers to modern cloud storage, and replace your FTP server without forcing every partner or system to change at once.

You can use Couchdrop to:

Receive files from partners and systems that still connect over FTP or FTPS
Send files to destinations that require FTP or FTPS

Webhooks

Couchdrop supports webhooks for receiving files from external applications and sending data into other systems and integration platforms.

You can use Couchdrop webhooks to:

Receive files from external applications over HTTPS
Send data outbound through supported integrations
Send notifications and events to external monitoring or SIEM platforms

File Sharing

Shared Links

Shared Links in Couchdrop provide a secure way to share files and folders with external users through a web link.

Introduction

Shared Links let you securely share files and folders stored in Couchdrop-connected storage without giving recipients access to that storage.

The original file or folder stays in your existing storage location, such as SharePoint. There is no duplication, and recipients do not need to know where the content is stored.

Users access the file or folder through a Couchdrop Shared Link and do not need a Couchdrop account, a storage account, or guest access to the underlying platform.

You can add controls such as allowed recipients, passwords, expiry, and one-time use to restrict access.

How to create a Shared Link

To create a Shared Link, you will need:

Access to Couchdrop with the appropriate permissions
An existing file or folder connection that you want to share

From Couchdrop, click + Create, then select Create Shared Link.

Choose Share an Existing File or Folder and select the file or folder you want to share.

Configure any access controls you need, including Allowed Receivers, password protection, One Time Use, and Expiry.

You can also allow unapproved users to request access to the link.

Save the Shared Link, then copy the generated URL from Couchdrop.

Send the link to the intended recipient so they can access the shared file or folder.

Additional settings can be configured after a Shared Link has been created.

Setting

Description

Shared Links can be protected so that only the intended recipients can access the shared content.

Security option

How it works

Shared Link Managers control which Couchdrop users and groups can manage the link.

Use Managers to select the users or groups that should have management access.

B2B Connect

B2B Connect works like a secure shared folder between two organizations, except each organization keeps control of its own storage.

Couchdrop B2B Connect lets two organizations exchange files directly between their Couchdrop accounts without sharing storage credentials or providing access to each other's storage.

Each organization controls its own side of the connection. The receiving party chooses where files are delivered, while the sending party gets a dedicated B2B Connect location for sending files.

You can use B2B Connect to:

Send files directly to another organization's Couchdrop-connected storage
Receive files into a storage location you control
Exchange files without sharing storage account access or credentials

Automations

Manual Activation

Learn how to trigger a workflow manually.

If you want to only trigger a workflow on demand, you can create the workflow and set it to Automation Disabled at the top of the screen, or create a and set the schedule to Never.

With either of these methods, simply choose the Run Now option in the editor to run the workflow on demand.

Actions

Learn about supported Actions with Transfer Automations in Couchdrop

What are Actions?

Actions define what Couchdrop does during an Automation.

An action can perform a task such as moving a file, retrieving data, encrypting or decrypting a file, transforming file contents, extracting a variable, sending an email, or connecting to an external API.

Why use Actions?

Actions are the building blocks of an Automation.

They let you define what should happen after an Automation is triggered, and combine multiple tasks into a single workflow.

For example, an Automation could rename a file, move it to another location, and then send an email after the transfer completes.

How Actions work

In the Automation Builder, click the + icon and select Actions to add an action to the workflow.

Actions can be nested in Automations, which means one action depends on the success and output of the previous action. This allows for very complex scenarios in a single flow.

If an action fails, Couchdrop will not continue processing its child actions.

For more information, see .

Variables

Learn about variable use in Transfer Automations

Overview

Variables let you dynamically build filenames and folder paths in Couchdrop Automations.

Instead of entering a fixed filename or destination path, you can use variables that are replaced with values from the file, the user, the workflow event, or the current timestamp when the Automation runs.

For example, you can use variables to:

Keep the original filename when moving or copying a file
Create folders based on the current year, month, or day
Include the uploading user in a destination path
Reference information from the event that triggered the Automation
Extract values from filenames or file contents and reuse them in later actions

Variables can be added anywhere an Automation action supports a filename or path.

The following variables are available for automations

Key

Value Example

Description

Custom variables let you extract information from a filename or from the contents of a file and use the extracted value in later Automation actions.

Couchdrop provides two actions for creating custom variables:

Extract Variable from Filename
Extract Variable from File

The extraction action must run before any action that uses the custom variable.

Extract Variable from Filename uses a regular expression to extract a value from the filename and make that value available to later actions.

When creating the action, configure:

Setting

Description

After the variable has been created, use Add Automation Variable in a supported later action to insert it.

Extract Variable from File works in the same way but applies the regular expression to the contents of the file rather than its filename.

When creating the action, configure:

Setting

Description

The extracted value can then be added to supported actions later in the workflow using Add Automation Variable.

Custom variables are only available after their extraction action has successfully run.

For example, a workflow could:

Use Extract Variable from Filename to identify a value in an incoming filename.
Store the result as an Automation variable.
Use that variable in the destination path or filename of a later action.

This allows one Automation to dynamically route or rename files based on information contained in the filename or file itself.

Notifications

Learn about notifications as part of automations

Notifications let you send email alerts when a workflow action succeeds or fails.

They are useful when someone needs visibility into an automated process without reviewing the workflow execution logs. For example, you can notify an operations team when a transfer fails or confirm to a recipient that a scheduled process completed successfully.

Notifications can be added at any point in a workflow.

In the Automation Builder, click the + where you want the notification to run, then select Notifications.

Configure the notification using the following settings:

Setting

Description

Storage

S3 Compatible Storage

Learn how to connect Couchdrop to S3 compatible storage

Couchdrop can connect to storage providers that implement the S3 API.

Once connected, the S3-compatible storage can be mapped into Couchdrop and used with Couchdrop file transfer and workflow features while files remain in the connected storage platform.

In Couchdrop, add a new storage connection and select S3 Compatible from the list of available connections.

Enter a Name for this integration and select the

Backblaze B2

Learn how to connect to Backblaze B2 storage

Couchdrop can connect directly to Backblaze B2 and make your existing Backblaze storage available through Couchdrop.

Once connected, you can use files and folders in Backblaze B2 with Couchdrop file transfer and workflow features while keeping the files in your Backblaze bucket.

In Couchdrop, add a new storage connection and select Backblaze B2 from the list of available connections.

Enter a Name for this integration and select the

Wasabi

Learn how to connect Wasabi cloud storage to Couchdrop

Overview

Couchdrop can connect directly to Wasabi storage and make your existing buckets available through Couchdrop.

Once connected, you can use Wasabi with Couchdrop file transfer tools and workflows while files remain stored in your Wasabi account.

How to connect Wasabi

To connect Wasabi, you will need:

A Wasabi account
A Wasabi bucket

Add a new storage connection

In Couchdrop, add a new storage connection and select Wasabi from the list of available connections.

Configure Wasabi

Enter a Name for this integration and select the Couchdrop folder path where the connection will appear.

Enter your Wasabi connection details:

Wasabi Cloud Region — Select the region where your Wasabi bucket is hosted.
Wasabi Bucket — Enter the bucket Couchdrop will connect to.
Wasabi Access Key — Enter the access key Couchdrop will use to authenticate.
Wasabi Access Key Secret — Enter the corresponding secret key.

Select Save and Test to verify the Wasabi connection.

After the connection has been tested, you can optionally select a specific folder to map into Couchdrop.

Leaving the folder selection blank allows Couchdrop to map the storage connection directly without restricting it to a specific folder.

Optionally, configure Transfer Shield and select a content rule group to surface or block unexpected, non-compliant, or malicious files uploaded through this connection.

When the configuration is complete, save the integration.

Non-GUI Environments

Learn about connecting the Couchdrop agent in a Non-GUI environment

Overview

You can install the Couchdrop Windows Agent on a server without using the graphical interface.

This process involves configuring the Couchdrop Cloud Connector on a workstation first, copying its configuration to the server, installing the agent silently, and then running it as a Windows service.

Install and configure the agent on a workstation

First, install and configure the Couchdrop Agent on a workstation where you can use the graphical interface.

For configuration instructions, see the Windows / Mac File Server guide.

Once the agent is installed and connected, browse to:

C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\CouchdropCloudConnector

Copy the following to a location that you can access from the target server:

configuration.conf
The Couchdrop Cloud Connector installer

Once these files have been copied, you can uninstall the agent from the workstation if it is no longer required there.

On the target server, open Command Prompt as an administrator.

Navigate to the location where you copied the Couchdrop Cloud Connector installer and configuration.conf.

Run the Couchdrop Cloud Connector installer using the /quiet option.

For example:

Your installer path may be different depending on where you copied the file.

Integrations

Business Systems

Transform Files

Learn how to transform files with Couchdrop Automations

Overview

Transform actions let you read data from a file into Automation Variables or create a new file using data already available within a workflow. This makes them useful for lightweight ETL and EDI-style workflows, where structured data needs to be parsed, evaluated, and written into a new file format or structure.

For example, you can parse rows from a CSV file into a variable, use those values in later actions, and then write selected Automation Variables into a new file.

Available Transform Actions

Action

Description

Parse File

Both transform actions can work with .

Parse File creates a new variable from the contents of a CSV or XML file. Write to File consumes variables and writes their values into a newly created file.

Standard workflow variables are available, created by other workflow actions can also become available where supported.

The Parse File action reads the contents of a file and stores the parsed data as an Automation Variable.

Configure this action as early as possible in your workflow. The variable created by Parse File is only available to actions that run after it. If the Parse File action fails, subsequent actions will not execute.

Select CSV as the file type to parse a CSV file.

Configure:

Variable name — Enter a unique name for the Automation Variable. The parsed CSV is stored as an Automation Variable list.
Column delimiter — Enter the character used to separate values within the CSV.
File Has Headers — Enable this if the first row of the CSV contains column names.
Column headers — If the CSV does not contain headers, you can define them manually using

If no column headers are supplied, Couchdrop generates default field names such as column_0.

The resulting variable is a list, so you can optionally use a Loop node to run actions for each item within that list.

Select XML as the file type to parse an XML file.

Enter a unique Variable name for the parsed content. Couchdrop stores the resulting value as an Automation Variable JSON object that can be referenced by later actions.

Once the file has been parsed, later actions can access its data through Add Automation Variable.

For CSV files, the variable contains a list of parsed rows. For XML files, the variable contains a JSON object representing the parsed file.

The Write to File action creates a new file using values available within the workflow.

The destination file must not already exist.

Configure:

File path — Select the location and filename Couchdrop should create.
File type — Select CSV, XML, or Other.
File content — Define the content that Couchdrop should write to the file.

You can use Add Automation Variable to insert values from the workflow and Add Jinja Block when the output requires looping or other templating logic.

Select CSV, then enter the output in CSV format.

Automation Variables can be inserted into the CSV content, allowing values generated earlier in the workflow to be written into the new file.

For more complex output, use Jinja to work with lists or other structured Automation Variables.

Select XML, then enter the XML structure that should be written to the new file.

For example, a Jinja loop can generate repeated XML elements from an Automation Variable list:

In this example, Couchdrop loops through the values in the supplied Automation Variable and writes an <ItemTag> for each item.

Select Other to create a text-based file without using the CSV or XML-specific editors.

Enter the required text and optionally include Automation Variables or Jinja blocks to generate the content dynamically.

Jinja blocks can be used in Write to File actions to control how Automation Variables are written into a new file.

Select Add Jinja Block to choose from the available block types.

Block

Description

Use a Loop Block when an Automation Variable contains a list and you want to write content for each item.

For example:

If {CUSTOM.Customers} contains multiple items, Couchdrop writes one line for each item in the list.

A loop can also be used to generate repeated XML elements:

Use an If Block when content should only be written when a condition evaluates to True.

For example:

In this example, the content is only written when the value of Status is Active.

Use an If-Else Block when you want one value written when a condition is true and an alternative value when it is false.

For example:

Use an If-Elif-Else Block when the output depends on several possible conditions.

For example:

Couchdrop evaluates each condition in order and writes the content associated with the first matching condition. If none of the preceding conditions match, the content in the else block is written.

Jinja blocks can be used together when generating content from a list.

For example, you can loop through parsed CSV rows and only write rows matching a condition:

This example loops through the {CUSTOM.Customers} list and writes a CSV row only when the item's Status value is Active.

Conditional Filtering

Learn about conditional filtering for Automations

Overview

Conditional filtering lets you control how files move through a Couchdrop Automation based on specific conditions.

Conditions can evaluate properties such as the filename, modification time, directory, triggering user or group, and Automation Variable values. Based on the result, the workflow can continue down a True or False branch.

This allows a single workflow to handle multiple scenarios without creating separate Automations for each outcome.

Adding a condition

Conditions are configured in the Automation builder.

Click the + where you want to add the condition, then select Conditions.

The condition evaluates the current file or workflow context and routes processing through either the True or False branch.

True and False branches

Conditions support separate True and False branches.

When Couchdrop evaluates a condition:

The True branch runs when the condition matches.
The False branch runs when the condition does not match.

Each branch can contain its own actions and additional workflow steps.

For example, if a Filename matches condition checks for *.txt:

Files matching *.txt can follow the True branch and be attached to an email.
Files that do not match can follow the False branch and perform a different action, such as deleting the file.

This allows a single workflow to define what should happen for both outcomes of a condition.

Couchdrop supports the following condition types:

Condition

Description

Use Filename matches when the workflow should branch based on a filename pattern.

For example, you can configure a condition to match *.txt. Files matching the pattern follow the True branch, while files that do not match follow the False branch.

Use File modtime to evaluate a file based on its last modification time.

File modification conditions support:

Before
After
In the last
Older than

For example, a condition configured as Older than 7 days will evaluate as True for files modified more than seven days ago.

Use Directory matches when the workflow should branch based on the directory containing the file.

The directory is matched against the configured pattern. Files in matching directories follow the True branch, while files that do not match follow the False branch.

Use User matches to evaluate the user who caused the File Action to trigger.

This allows subsequent actions to differ depending on which user triggered the workflow.

Use Group matches to check whether the user who caused the File Action to trigger belongs to a specified group.

The workflow can then route the file through the appropriate True or False branch based on group membership.

Use Automation Variable matches when the workflow should branch based on the value of an Automation Variable.

When creating the condition, configure:

Select Automation Variable to compare: Select the Automation Variable whose value you want to evaluate. Automation Variables must contain text to be compared.
Please enter the text to match against: Enter the text that the selected variable should match.
Regex pattern: Optionally use a regular expression when matching the variable.
Test your regex

The condition evaluates the selected Automation Variable and routes the workflow through the True or False branch based on the result.

Use a Complex Condition when you need to evaluate multiple conditions together before deciding which branch of a workflow should run.

A Complex Condition contains two or more individual conditions and combines their results using either And Condition or Or Condition.

When creating a Complex Condition, enter a Label, choose the Condition type, then add the conditions you want to evaluate.

Choose And Condition when every condition must match.

For example, you could configure:

Filename extension Matches txt
Filename Matches *finance*

Both conditions must match for the Complex Condition to return True. If either condition does not match, the workflow follows the False branch.

Choose Or Condition when any one of the conditions can match.

For example, you could configure several filename conditions for different expected file names or patterns.

If at least one condition matches, the Complex Condition returns True. The workflow follows the False branch only when none of the conditions match.

Filename and directory conditions support wildcard pattern matching:

Conditions using Automation Variable use regular expression pattern matching instead.

Conditions can be used anywhere in an Automation where different processing should occur based on the file or workflow context.

Because both True and False branches can contain actions, conditions can be used to build workflows that handle multiple outcomes within the same Automation rather than requiring a separate workflow for each scenario.

Couchdrop Knowledge Base

Get Started

Set up an SFTP user & endpoint

Introduction

Create an SFTP user

Build your first automation

Introduction

Creating an automation in Couchdrop

Create an automation

Managed File Transfer

Inbound SFTP connections

How it works

Connection details

FTP and FTPS

Webhooks

File Sharing

Shared Links

Introduction

How to create a Shared Link

Choose a file or folder to share

B2B Connect

Automations

Manual Activation

Actions

What are Actions?

Why use Actions?

How Actions work

Variables

Overview

Notifications

Storage

S3 Compatible Storage

Backblaze B2

Wasabi

Overview

How to connect Wasabi

Add a new storage connection

Configure Wasabi

Non-GUI Environments

Overview

Install and configure the agent on a workstation

Integrations

Business Systems

Non-GUI Environments

Overview

Install and configure the agent on a workstation

Shared Links

Introduction

How to create a Shared Link

Choose a file or folder to share

Configure access controls

Share your link

Settings

General link settings

Security options

Shared Link Managers

Frequently asked questions

Before you start

Copy the agent configuration

Install the agent as a service

Verify the connection in Couchdrop

Set up the agent on the server

Open Command Prompt as Administrator

Install the agent silently

Inbound SFTP connections

How it works

Connection details

Connect via SFTP

How to connect to Couchdrop using SFTP

Before you start

Open your SFTP client or application

Enter your Couchdrop SFTP credentials

Host key authentication

Host key authentication

Common issues and errors

Frequently asked questions

Build your first automation

Introduction

Creating an automation in Couchdrop

Create an automation