Bring your own bucketSFTP to IDrive e2, on budget storage
IDrive e2 is low-cost S3-compatible storage with regions in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia. CloudFile adds an SFTP, FTPS and FTP server in front of an e2 bucket, written with an access key limited to that bucket.
IDrive e2 with CloudFile, at a glance.
| Endpoint | https://s3.<region>.idrivee2.com, or the endpoint shown under Enabled regions in your dashboard |
|---|---|
| URL style | Path-style |
| Credentials | Access key with Read and write, delete allowed, limited to one bucket. Permissions can't be changed later. |
| Regions | US, Canada, Europe (including Frankfurt) and Asia. Enable a region in the dashboard first. |
| Pricing model | $6 per TB per month on pay as you go, with a 1 TB minimum. No API fees, free egress up to 3x your stored data, no minimum storage duration. |
IDrive e2 prices are from their public website as of October 2026, excluding taxes. Your bucket is billed by IDrive e2, not by us, and doesn't count toward your plan's storage.
Why pair SFTP with IDrive e2.
Low and simple
A per-TB price with no API call fees, so busy SFTP folders don't add request charges.
Files can come and go
No minimum storage duration and no delete fees, so processed-and-deleted drop folders cost what they hold.
Free downloads up to 3x
Egress is free up to three times your stored volume each month.
A key per bucket
Access keys can be limited to selected buckets and to object deletes without bucket deletes.
How it works, in three steps.
- Step 1
Enable a region, create a bucket and a key
Enable the region in the dashboard, create the bucket with versioning and locking off, and create a Read and write key for it.
eu-central-2 acme-sftp key: cloudfile (acme-sftp) - Step 2
Connect it in CloudFile
Storage → Add bucket → IDrive e2. Pick the region, or paste the endpoint from Enabled regions if it differs.
https://s3.eu-central-2.idrivee2.com ✓ test passed - Step 3
Uploads go to e2
Each user writes under its own prefix, and a webhook or email reports every upload.
acme → acme-sftp/acme/backup-2026-10-22.tar.gz
Every click and field is in the IDrive e2 setup guide.
What your partners see, and where it lands in IDrive e2.
$ sftp -P 22000 [email protected]
sftp> put invoice-2026-10.pdf
sftp> ls
invoice-2026-10.pdfYour IDrive e2 bucket<bucket>/<folder>/acme/invoice-2026-10.pdf
<bucket>/<folder>/_shared/inbox/…Any SFTP, FTPS or FTP client: FileZilla, WinSCP, Cyberduck, the sftp command or their own system. WebDAV too, if you turn it on.
Their own home folder as /, and nothing else. They never see the bucket name, other users' folders or your keys.
A password, an SSH key or both, with the permissions you pick: full access, read only or upload only.
Shared folders at /shared/<name> when several users need the same files. They live under _shared/<name>/ in your IDrive e2 bucket.
Get these right in IDrive e2.
If your dashboard shows a different endpoint for the region than the preset, use the dashboard's one.
Key permissions are fixed at creation. To change them, delete the key and create a new one.
Pay as you go bills at least 1 TB, so e2 makes most sense once you store a terabyte or close to it.
Questions about SFTP on IDrive e2.
Why does the test fail with NoSuchBucket?
The endpoint is for a different region than the bucket and key. Copy the bucket's region endpoint from Enabled regions.
Does IDrive e2 charge for API calls?
No, according to IDrive's pricing page. Egress is free up to 3x your stored volume, then billed per GB.
Can I keep data in Europe?
Yes. e2 has several European regions, such as eu-central-2 (Frankfurt). CloudFile's SFTP servers run in Germany.
Should I enable versioning?
Not for a normal server: deleted and overwritten files would be kept. For backups, see our ransomware-proof backups page.
More in the docs: IDrive e2 setup · Your own bucket · Webhooks
