sftpserver
sftpserver - a simple single-threaded sftp server
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No—install only for legacy projects already using it. The package is abandoned (last update 2017) with no Python version guarantee, making it unsuitable for new development. Modern alternatives or a maintained SFTP testing library are strongly preferred.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a private key file (RSA format) and openssl to generate test keys; Python version compatibility unspecified and likely limited given abandonment.
- Installation is straightforward with low friction, but the package is abandoned—last release was in 2017 and last commit in 2020.
- No updates for several years means it may not work with modern Python versions or security patches.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license is permissive, allowing use in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions; you must include a copy of the license.
last release 2017-04-09 (3414 days) · last repo commit 2020-09-01 · 147 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 237,488 downloads/mo, #8,957 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install sftpserver
# Generate a test key:
# openssl req -out CSR.csr -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout /tmp/test_rsa.key
# Start server:
# sftpserver -k /tmp/test_rsa.key
# Connect with paramiko:
import paramiko
pkey = paramiko.RSAKey.from_private_key_file('/tmp/test_rsa.key')
transport = paramiko.Transport(('localhost', 3373))
transport.connect(username='admin', password='admin', pkey=pkey)
sftp = paramiko.SFTPClient.from_transport(transport)
sftp.listdir('.')- Whether the package works with Python versions released after 2017 or modern Paramiko versions.
- Whether security issues in Paramiko or underlying dependencies have been addressed in sftpserver.
- Whether the single-threaded design meets performance needs for your test scenarios.
What it is and what it does
sftpserver is a minimal SFTP server implementation designed as a testing stub rather than a production service. It wraps Paramiko's SFTPServer to provide a simple command-line tool that listens on a configurable host and port, accepts SSH key authentication, and serves files from the local filesystem. The package is intended for developers who need to test SFTP client code without setting up a real SFTP server.
The server runs single-threaded and is configured via command-line flags: you specify a private key file, optional host and port, and debug logging level. It accepts connections from Paramiko clients using RSA key authentication and allows standard SFTP operations like listing and transferring files. Because it is abandoned (last release 2017, last commit 2020), it carries risk of incompatibility with modern Python or Paramiko versions.
Use it for
- Unit testing SFTP client code without deploying a real SFTP server.
- Stubbing SFTP endpoints in integration tests for Python applications.
- Local development and debugging of SFTP client implementations.
- Mocking SFTP server behavior in CI/CD pipelines for client testing.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No—install only for legacy projects already using it.
The package is abandoned (last update 2017) with no Python version guarantee, making it unsuitable for new development. Modern alternatives or a maintained SFTP testing library are strongly preferred.
Install
sftpserver on PyPI
Before you install
Installation is straightforward with low friction, but the package is abandoned—last release was in 2017 and last commit in 2020. No updates for several years means it may not work with modern Python versions or security patches.
Requires a private key file (RSA format) and openssl to generate test keys; Python version compatibility unspecified and likely limited given abandonment.
License in practice
MIT license is permissive, allowing use in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions; you must include a copy of the license.
Quickstart
pip install sftpserver
# Generate a test key:
# openssl req -out CSR.csr -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout /tmp/test_rsa.key
# Start server:
# sftpserver -k /tmp/test_rsa.key
# Connect with paramiko:
import paramiko
pkey = paramiko.RSAKey.from_private_key_file('/tmp/test_rsa.key')
transport = paramiko.Transport(('localhost', 3373))
transport.connect(username='admin', password='admin', pkey=pkey)
sftp = paramiko.SFTPClient.from_transport(transport)
sftp.listdir('.')Verify before relying
- Whether the package works with Python versions released after 2017 or modern Paramiko versions.
- Whether security issues in Paramiko or underlying dependencies have been addressed in sftpserver.
- Whether the single-threaded design meets performance needs for your test scenarios.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesparamikosetuptools |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 3,414 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 237,488 / month, #8,957 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Intended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: UnixProgramming Language :: PythonTopic :: Internet :: File Transfer Protocol (FTP) |
Evidence: sftpserver-0.3-py2.py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “paramiko sftp stub”
- sftpserverProvides a simple single-threaded SFTP server built on Paramiko for…
- pysftppysftp provides a high-level Python interface to SFTP operations,…
- sftprettyA Python3 wrapper around paramiko that simplifies SFTP file transfers…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Internet packages
Botocore provides low-level, data-driven access to Amazon Web Services APIs, serving as the foundation for the AWS CLI and boto3 libraries.
Install it if you need programmatic access to AWS services.
Provides an async client for AWS services using botocore and aiohttp, allowing you to call AWS APIs asynchronously within asyncio-based applications.
Install it if you need to call AWS services from async Python code; it is the standard way to do so.
Pydantic validates Python data structures against type hints, coercing and checking input at runtime to ensure it matches a declared schema.
Provides a platform-independent file locking mechanism to coordinate access to files across processes and threads.
FastAPI is a Python web framework for building REST APIs using type hints, with automatic request validation, serialization, and interactive API documentation.
Provides common Protocol Buffer message definitions used across Google Cloud APIs, enabling Python clients to interact with Google services.
See also pytest-sftpserver · mocksftp · mock-ssh-server · sftpretty · pysftp · fs.sshfs · sshfs · scp · sshtunnel · pip-install-test