Documentation

BridgeFile Docs

Everything you need to set up and use BridgeFile for secure file transfers.

Docs available in 繁體中文

Quick Start

Preview the connection and transfer workflow while you wait for the first public release.

SFTP Setup

BridgeFile supports full SFTP connections with password or SSH key authentication, including passphrase-protected keys.

Host:     myserver.example.com
Port:     22
Username: deploy
Auth:     Password (stored in OS keychain)

Host:       production.example.com
Port:       22
Username:   ubuntu
Auth:       SSH Key
Key File:   ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
Passphrase: (optional, stored in keychain)

FTP / FTPS Setup

BridgeFile supports plain FTP and FTPS (FTP over TLS) in both implicit and explicit modes, powered by basic-ftp under the hood.

Host:      ftp.example.com
Port:      21        # 990 for implicit FTPS
Username:  uploader
Password:  ********
Use FTPS:  Explicit TLS  (or "Implicit" / "None")

S3 Setup (Single-Bucket Mode)

BridgeFile's S3 Single-Bucket Mode lets you work with restricted IAM policies that grant access to a specific bucket and prefix only.

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Sid": "ListOnlyAssignedPrefix",
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": "s3:ListBucket",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::my-company-assets",
      "Condition": {
        "StringLike": {
          "s3:prefix": [
            "team-a/uploads/*"
          ]
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "Sid": "DenyListingOtherPrefixes",
      "Effect": "Deny",
      "Action": "s3:ListBucket",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::my-company-assets",
      "Condition": {
        "StringNotLike": {
          "s3:prefix": [
            "team-a/uploads/*"
          ]
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "Sid": "WorkWithAssignedObjects",
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "s3:GetObject",
        "s3:PutObject",
        "s3:DeleteObject"
      ],
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::my-company-assets/team-a/uploads/*"
    }
  ]
}

Endpoint:  https://<account>.r2.cloudflarestorage.com
Region:    auto
Bucket:    my-r2-bucket
Prefix:    (optional)

Transferring Files

BridgeFile offers multiple ways to move files between local and remote systems, with a resumable queue that tracks progress for every transfer.

• —Drag & drop: Drag files between the local and remote panes, or from your OS file manager into either pane.
• —Right-click menu: Upload, Download, Delete, Rename, Edit, Permissions, Compare, Verify Checksum.
• —Keyboard: Ctrl/Cmd + U to upload, Ctrl/Cmd + D to download, Delete to remove, F2 to rename.
• —Batch selection: Shift + click for ranges, Ctrl/Cmd + click for individual files.
• —Resume: Interrupted SFTP and FTP transfers can be resumed from where they stopped.

Multi-Tab Sessions

Open multiple SFTP, FTP, and S3 connections in parallel tabs. Drag tabs to reorder them. Switch with Ctrl/Cmd + Tab. Close the active tab with Ctrl/Cmd + W.

Site Manager & Groups

The Site Manager in the left sidebar stores every connection profile. Star favourites, organise servers into collapsible groups, and use bookmarks to save frequently accessed remote paths.

• —Favourites: Pin your most-used servers to the top of the list.
• —Groups: Nest connections into folders: staging, production, customer-x, etc.
• —Bookmarks: Save remote paths like /var/www/app/releases to jump there in one click.

Jump Host / SSH Proxy

For SFTP connections behind a bastion / jump host, enable 'Jump Host' in the connection settings. BridgeFile tunnels the SFTP session through the jump host transparently — no manual ProxyCommand config required.

# Target server
Host:      db.internal.example.com
Port:      22
Username:  ops

# Jump host
Proxy Host:      bastion.example.com
Proxy Port:      22
Proxy Username:  alvin
Proxy Password:  (or SSH key)

Remote File Editor

Right-click a remote text file and choose 'Edit' to open it in the built-in editor. Save (Ctrl/Cmd + S) and BridgeFile uploads the changes back atomically. Perfect for quick nginx/env tweaks without round-tripping through scp.

Directory Compare

Open Directory Compare from the right-click menu on any folder. BridgeFile lists files that are missing, newer, or different between local and remote. One-click sync in either direction.

Glob Search

Press Ctrl/Cmd + F inside any pane to search recursively with a glob pattern. Works across SFTP, FTP, and S3. Double-click a result to jump to it.

**/*.log
uploads/2026-*/invoice-*.pdf
node_modules/**/.DS_Store

Checksum Verification

Right-click a file and choose 'Verify Checksum' to compute MD5 or SHA-256 on both local and remote copies. BridgeFile compares the two and shows Match / Mismatch. Use it after large transfers over unreliable networks.

Themes & Language

• —Theme: Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + T toggles between dark and light mode; or follow OS preference in Settings.
• —Language: English and 繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese, zh-TW). Switch in Settings (Ctrl/Cmd + ,).
• —Panels: Drag the centre divider to resize panes; collapse the transfer queue to reclaim space.