For uploading files to your hosting account directly from a client like FileZilla, Cyberduck, or Transmit, you'll use FTP or SFTP. Both work; SFTP is more secure and we recommend it.
Connect with your default account
Every hosting account has a primary FTP/SFTP login that uses your hosting account's username and password.
Connection details:
- Host: your hosting's domain (or
your-server.flashcloud.comif your domain isn't pointed yet). - Port: 21 for FTP, 22 for SFTP.
- Username: your cPanel username (shown on your service detail page).
- Password: your cPanel password (see Changing your hosting account password if you need to set one).
Use SFTP unless you have a specific reason not to — FTP transmits passwords in plain text; SFTP is encrypted.
Create additional FTP accounts
If you want to give a developer or designer limited access without sharing your main credentials, create a scoped FTP account.
- Go to Services → click hosting → FTP tile.
- Click Create FTP account.
- Set:
- Username — will be
username@yourdomain.com(the@part is automatic). - Password — strong, please.
- Directory — restrict to a specific folder (e.g.,
/public_html/blog/) so the account can only see files there. - Quota — optional file size cap.
- Username — will be
- Save.
The new account works immediately. Connection details are the same as the main account, but you log in with the new username.
SFTP vs FTP
| FTP | SFTP | |
|---|---|---|
| Port | 21 | 22 |
| Encryption | None | Yes (SSH) |
| Password security | Plain text on the wire | Encrypted |
| Performance | Slightly faster on huge files | Plenty fast |
| Default in modern clients | No | Yes |
Use SFTP. The negligible performance difference doesn't justify FTP's plain-text auth.
Common issues
- "Connection refused" / port 21 timeout — your network may block outgoing FTP. Try SFTP on port 22 instead, or check your firewall.
- "Authentication failed" — wrong password. If you recently changed it, your FTP client may have the old one cached.
- "Permission denied" when uploading — the destination directory's permissions may be wrong. See File permissions. Or your FTP account is restricted to a different directory.
- Files upload but the website doesn't update — check you're uploading to
/public_html/(or the correct subdirectory), not your home directory.
Removing FTP accounts
Same tile, click the trash icon. Connections drop immediately; pending transfers fail. The files in the account's folder aren't deleted — only the account credentials.
Power-user note
For automated deploys (CI pipelines, sync scripts), prefer SSH key authentication over password. Generate a keypair, paste the public key into your hosting account's SSH/FTP key settings (in cPanel's "SSH Access" tool), and connect with the private key. No password, no rotation, no typed credentials in CI logs.