# SFTP

Nextcloud's SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) backend supports both password and public key authentication.

The **Host** field is required. The default port is 22 (SSH).

For public key authentication, you can generate a public/private key pair from your **SFTP with secret key login** configuration.

![Generating an RSA key pair in the SFTP configuration.](https://docs.cocobook.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-10/auth-mechanism.png)

After generating your keys, you need to copy your new public key to the destination server to `.ssh/authorized_keys`. Nextcloud will then use its private key to authenticate to the SFTP server.

The default **Remote Subfolder** is the root directory (`/`) of the remote SFTP server, and you may enter any directory you wish.

See [External Storage](/link/956) for additional mount options and information.

See [External Storage authentication mechanisms](/link/965) for more information on authentication schemes.