Sync FTP Storage to AWS S3 with Cloud Integration

Published {$created} by Carsten Blum

Modern applications often use object storage platforms like AWS S3, while many existing systems still rely on FTP, SFTP, FTPS, or SCP.

ftpGrid's new Cloud Integration feature bridges this gap.

With Cloud Integration you can automatically synchronize files between ftpGrid and external cloud storage providers, including:

• AWS S3

• S3 compatible providers (Cloudflare R2, OVH, MinIO, etc.)

• Azure Blob Storage

This makes ftpGrid a powerful bridge between legacy file transfer protocols and modern cloud storage infrastructure.

What ftpGrid Cloud Integration Can Do

Cloud Integration supports four synchronization modes:

• Copy from ftpGrid → external cloud

  Files uploaded via FTP/SFTP will automatically be copied to your S3 bucket.

  No files are deleted.

• Copy from external cloud → ftpGrid

  S3 => ftpGrid

  Files uploaded to S3 will be synchronized into your ftpGrid storage.

• Mirror ftpGrid → external cloud

  ftpGrid => S3 (mirror)

  Files removed from ftpGrid will also be deleted from S3.

  This keeps both systems fully synchronized.

• Mirror external cloud → ftpGrid

  S3 => ftpGrid (mirror)

  The ftpGrid storage becomes an exact mirror of the S3 bucket.

Why Use ftpGrid as an S3 Bridge?

Many systems still generate files using FTP or SFTP uploads, including:

• surveillance cameras

• IoT devices

• legacy applications

• backup systems

• automated scripts

• ERP and reporting systems

These systems often cannot upload directly to S3.

Cloud Integration solves this by allowing:

Device → FTP/SFTP → ftpGrid → S3

Typical example:

• cameras upload recordings via FTP

• ftpGrid receives files

• files automatically sync to S3

This removes the need for custom middleware or scripts.

Step-by-Step: Connect ftpGrid to AWS S3

Step 1 – Open Cloud Integrations

Log in to your ftpGrid dashboard. Navigate to:

Cloud Integrations → Create integration

Step 2 – Add Description

Enter a descriptive name for the integration.

Example:

Sync camera storage to AWS S3

This helps identify integrations if you create multiple.

Step 3 – Select Cloud Provider

Choose:

AWS S3 or S3 compatible

This option works with:

• AWS S3

• Cloudflare R2

• OVH Object Storage

• MinIO

• Wasabi

• Backblaze B2 (S3 mode)

• 
  

Step 4 – Configure the S3 Bucket

Enter the name of your bucket. Example:

my-ftpgrid-backups

You may also specify a remote path inside the bucket. Example:

customer-exports/

If left blank, ftpGrid will sync with the root of the bucket.

Step 5 – Choose the ftpGrid Path

Define which directory inside ftpGrid should be synchronized. Example:

customer/abc

The integration will include all subdirectories.

Common examples:

/uploads/cameras
/uploads/backups
/uploads/exports

Step 6 – Choose Sync Mode

Select how files should be synchronized.

Options include:

• Copy ftpGrid → S3

• Copy S3 → ftpGrid

• Mirror ftpGrid → S3

• Mirror S3 → ftpGrid

Most users choose:

Copy ftpGrid → external cloud

This ensures files uploaded via FTP are automatically stored in S3.

Step 7 – Enter AWS Credentials

Enter your AWS credentials.

Access Key example:

ABC123...

Secret Key example:

123ABC...

Region example:

eu-west-1

If you are using an S3 compatible provider, you must also enter the endpoint.

Example:

https://s3.eu-west-1.io.cloud.ovh.net/

Step 8 – Test the Integration

Click:

Test integration

ftpGrid will verify:

• credentials

• bucket access

• connectivity

Please note: ftpGrid performs the test by creating a file on the remote storage, and must have both read and write access to the bucket path.

If successful, enable the integration.

Step 9 – Review integration

Wait a couple of hours, or even days, and review how your integrations are performing. On the Cloud integrations list page you'll se statistics for your integrations like files and bytes transferred.

On the Audit log you can see each operation performed by the integration.

How the Sync Process Works

Once enabled, ftpGrid automatically scans the configured directory and synchronizes files. The scan is performed at fixed 5min intervals, but might be delayed if there is a long synchronization queue.

Large datasets may take a long time to synchronize initially, and larger datasets (100Gb+) will be chunked into 30min timeslots. This is done to provide fair bandwidth to all users on a specific Edge node.

Example Architecture

A common real-world setup:

• Security Cameras

  ↓

• Upload via FTP

  ↓

• ftpGrid Storage

  ↓

• Automatic Sync

  ↓

• AWS S3 Bucket

Benefits:

• cameras remain simple

• no S3 SDK required

• automatic redundancy

When Should You Use Mirroring?

Mirroring is useful when you want exact synchronization between ftpGrid and S3. Example:

Mirror ftpGrid → S3

If a file is removed from ftpGrid, it will also be removed from S3.

Useful for:

• temporary data

• log pipelines

• export directories

Security and Credentials

All credentials stored in ftpGrid are:

• encrypted using AES-256

• stored following the principle of least privilege

Credentials cannot be retrieved once saved, and cannot be decrypted by ftpGrid.

Related Guides

ftpGrid cloud storage overview https://ftpgrid.com/ftp-cloud-storage/

Camera cloud storage https://ftpgrid.com/video-surveillance-cloud-storage/

Quick start guide https://ftpgrid.com/ftp-sftp-cloud-storage-quick-start/

Final Thoughts

Cloud Integration turns ftpGrid into a powerful bridge between FTP infrastructure and modern cloud object storage.

Instead of rewriting applications or deploying middleware, you can simply connect ftpGrid and let synchronization happen automatically.

Create your free account and try it today.

https://app.ftpgrid.com/auth/signup/