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SFTP Errors

This page covers common connection and transfer errors you may encounter when using SFTP.

Connection Errors​

"Connection timed out" / "Connection refused"​

The SFTP client cannot reach the server.

Cause: The connecting IP address is not allowlisted on the server's firewall, or the SFTP service is not reachable on the expected port.

Resolution depends on which kind of server you use:

  • Managed server (eCourtDate-hosted): allowlist the IP of the machine that connects. In the Console, open the server, go to the Security tab, and add your IP under Inbound Security Rules. The server's own IP is shown on the server's Overview tab in the Host field. See Managed Server.
  • External server (your agency's): allowlist eCourtDate's connecting IP addresses on your firewall or security group. The Console shows these under Whitelist IP Addresses on the server's Overview tab. Then verify your SFTP service is running and listening on the configured port (default: 22).

"Permission denied" / "Authentication failed" / "Server refused our key"​

The server rejected the login credentials.

Cause: Incorrect username, wrong private key, a password or passphrase where the server expects none, or incorrect file permissions on the private key.

Resolution:

  1. Verify the username matches exactly (case-sensitive).
  2. Ensure the password field is blank if using key-based authentication, and that no passphrase is set on the key unless the server requires one.
  3. Confirm the private key file has read-only permissions (chmod 400 on Linux/macOS). See SFTP Troubleshooting for Windows permission commands.
  4. Make sure you are using the correct key format for your client (.pem for OpenSSH, .ppk for PuTTY/WinSCP). See Authentication for conversion steps.

FTP / FTPS Limitations​

If your server uses FTP or FTPS (as opposed to SFTP), be aware of the following:

  • Passive mode only: eCourtDate supports Passive (PASV) mode for FTP/FTPS connections. Active mode is not supported.
  • UTF-8 filenames required: Filenames must use UTF-8 encoding. Files with non-UTF-8 characters in their names may fail to transfer or may not be recognized by keyword filters.

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