File Management

Manage files inside running instances to upload assets, edit configurations, and download logs.

File Browser

Access the file browser from Instance Detail > Files tab:

Navigation

• Click folders to navigate into them
• Use breadcrumbs to navigate up
• Click column headers to sort by name, size, or modified date

File Information

Each entry displays:

• File/folder name with icon
• Size (files only)
• Last modified timestamp
• Permissions (Unix mode)

Common Actions

Browse Directories

Navigate the container filesystem starting from the root mount path. Only mounted volumes are accessible.

Upload Files

Upload files to the current directory:

1. Click Upload button or drag-and-drop files
2. Select files from your computer
3. Wait for upload to complete

For large files, Shardlyn uses resumable uploads (tus protocol) to handle interruptions.

Download Files

Download individual files or entire directories:

• Single file: Click download icon
• Directory: Downloads as tar archive

Edit Text Files

Edit configuration files directly in the browser:

1. Click on a text file (.txt, .properties, .yml, .json, .cfg, etc.)
2. Edit content in the code editor
3. Click Save to write changes

Tip: Stop the server before editing critical configuration files to avoid conflicts.

Create Folders

Create new directories:

1. Click New Folder button
2. Enter folder name
3. Click Create

Move/Rename Files

Move or rename files and folders:

1. Right-click on file/folder
2. Select Rename or Move
3. Enter new name or destination path

Delete Files

Remove files and folders:

1. Select items to delete
2. Click Delete or use right-click menu
3. Confirm deletion

Warning: Deleted files cannot be recovered. Create a backup first.

SFTP Access

For advanced file management, use SFTP with an SSH certificate:

1. Generate an SSH certificate via Settings > SSH Keys (see Security Guide)
2. Connect using your SFTP client:

sftp -i ~/.ssh/shardlyn_cert user@your-node-ip -p 2022
cd /instances/{instance-id}/data/

Path structure: /instances/{instance_id}/{mount_path}/

Best Practices

• Backup before editing: Use the Backups feature before modifying important files
• Use Git Deploy: For version-controlled server files, use Git Deploy instead
• Large files: For files over 100MB, prefer SFTP or resumable upload
• Avoid editing running configs: Stop the server before editing configuration files

Next Steps

• Backups — Backup and restore server data
• Git Deploy — Automated file deployments from Git
• Security — SSH certificates for SFTP access
• API Reference — File management API endpoints