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Manage PHP files, SSH, and SFTP

Upload application files, edit the document root, and connect to a PHP site over SSH or SFTP.

2 min read • Updated 29 July 2026

Use the browser file manager for quick changes and SFTP for larger or repeated transfers.

Find the correct document root

Open Dashboard → Services → your PHP service → PHP Sites, choose the site, and check Overview → Site Configuration. The Document Root is the public directory served for that site.

Files outside that directory are not web pages. Files inside it may be publicly reachable, so do not store database dumps, private keys, text.env files, or backups there.

Upload with the file manager

  1. Open the site and select Files.
  2. Browse to the document root.
  3. Drag files into the file list or use the upload control.
  4. Confirm that the main entry point is named textindex.php or textindex.html.
  5. Visit the domain and test the result.

The file manager can create and edit text files, create folders, rename, copy, move, download, delete, compress, and extract entries. Refresh the listing after a large operation finishes. Keep an original archive locally until the deployed site is confirmed working.

Replace the default page

The initial PHP information page is useful only as a provisioning check. Replace its entry file with your application after the site is ready. Leaving it public exposes PHP and server configuration details.

Connect with SSH or SFTP

  1. Open the PHP site's Access tab.
  2. Copy the displayed Host, Port, Username, and Password.
  3. Use the displayed SSH or SFTP command, or enter the same values in an SFTP client.

Example command shape:

bashsftp -P PORT USERNAME@HOST

The port is shown by AppLaunch and may not be the default SSH port. If a connection fails, confirm the node is online, copy the values again, and make sure your network permits outbound connections to that port.

Make a safe deployment

  1. Create a backup of the current site.
  2. Upload new files to a temporary folder when possible.
  3. Keep application secrets outside the public directory.
  4. Move the tested files into place.
  5. Test HTTPS pages, forms, sign-in, database operations, and scheduled callbacks.
  6. Check Logs before deleting the previous version.

Use Create your first PHP site if the site or domain has not been provisioned yet.