Connect to your server with SFTP (FileZilla and WinSCP)

The file manager in the panel is fine for editing a config or two. For anything bigger, such as uploading a world from singleplayer, adding fifty mods or taking a backup, SFTP is faster and resumes if your connection drops.

Every Torchlite server comes with SFTP access, on every plan. This guide shows where to find your login details, how to connect with the two most common programs, and what to watch out for.

Find your SFTP details

Open your server in the panel at game.torchlite.host and go to Settings. The box called SFTP Details has the two things you need:

• Server Address, which looks like sftp://rotl-hdds.torchlite.host:2022. The part between sftp:// and :2022 is the host, and 2022 is the port.
• Username, which is your panel username, a dot and your server's short ID, for example alex.1a2b3c4d.

The password is the same one you use to log in to the panel, and to torchlite.host. There is no separate SFTP password.

Clicking any of the fields copies it, which saves you from typos in the username.

Connect with FileZilla

FileZilla runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Download the client, not the server, from the official site.

1. Open the Site Manager

Go to File → Site Manager and click New site. Give it a name you will recognise, such as "Torchlite SMP".

2. Fill in the connection

• Protocol: SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol
• Host: the host from Server Address, without sftp:// and without the port
• Port: 2022
• Logon Type: Normal
• User: the full username, including the dot and server ID
• Password: your panel password

3. Connect and trust the key

Click Connect. The first time, FileZilla shows an "Unknown host key" message with a fingerprint. That is expected for any new server: tick "Always trust this host" and confirm. Your server's files appear on the right-hand side.

Connect with WinSCP

WinSCP is Windows only and a little friendlier for beginners.

1. In the login window choose New Site.
2. Set File protocol to SFTP.
3. Enter the host, port 2022, the full username and your panel password.
4. Click Save so you do not have to type it again, then Login.
5. Accept the host key the first time, just like in FileZilla.

If you prefer a terminal, the built-in client on macOS, Linux and Windows 10 or later works too:

sftp -P 2022 [email protected]

Note the capital -P for the port.

Upload a world or a modpack safely

Most broken worlds come from copying files while the server is running. The game keeps the world open and writes to it every few seconds, so a copy in the middle of that is a mix of old and new chunks.

The safe order is always the same:

1. Stop the server in the panel and wait until the console says it has stopped.
2. Take a copy of what you are about to replace. Download the old world folder first if you might want it back.
3. Upload the new files. For a Minecraft world, the folder goes in the server root and must match level-name in server.properties, which is world by default. Paper and Spigot also keep the Nether and the End in separate world_nether and world_the_end folders.
4. Start the server and watch the console for errors.

Uploading thousands of small files, such as a modpack's mods and config folders, is much faster as one zip. Upload the archive, then use Unarchive in the panel's file manager.

Remember that starting the server begins a renewal period, so keep the panel open afterwards. The renewal guide explains how often your plan asks.

Common problems

"Authentication failed" or "Access denied"

Check the username first. It must include the dot and the server ID, not just your panel name or your email. Then check the password: it is your panel password. If you recently reset it, use the new one.

The connection times out

Either the address is old or port 2022 is blocked where you are. Copy the address again from Settings. Some school and office networks block everything except web traffic; try from home or a phone hotspot.

"Host key has changed" warning

You will see this if your server moved to a different node and you connect with an old saved site. Compare the host in your saved site with the one in the panel. If the panel shows a different host, update the site and accept the new key.

Files upload but the server ignores them

Make sure they went to the right folder. Plugins go in plugins, Fabric and Forge mods in mods, and a world folder in the server root, next to server.properties. A zip that unpacks into an extra folder level is a common cause.