---
title: Add "Staging" profile to VS Code SFTP
tags: [vscode, sftp]
date: 2026-02-23
---

# Add "Staging" profile to VS Code SFTP

Setting up a "Staging" environment alongside your "Production" (Live) environment is the best way to test changes before the world sees them. Since we are using the **Global Settings** method, we will simply add a second profile to your "Keyring."

Here is how to set up the multi-environment workflow:

### Step 1: Add the Staging Profile to Global Settings

Open your global `settings.json` again (Ctrl+Shift+P -> **Open User Settings (JSON)**) and update the `remotefs.remote` block to include a second entry.

```json
"remotefs.remote": {
    "cpanel-prod": {
        "scheme": "ftp",
        "host": "YOUR_HOST",
        "username": "your_live",
        "password": "YOUR_PRODUCTION_PASSWORD",
        "port": 21
    },
    "cpanel-staging": {
        "scheme": "ftp",
        "host": "YOUR_HOST",
        "username": "your_staging",
        "password": "YOUR_STAGING_PASSWORD",
        "port": 21
    }
}

```

---

### Step 2: Use "Profiles" in your Project `sftp.json`

Instead of having one single connection, we will now use the `profiles` feature. This allows you to toggle between them easily. Update your `.vscode/sftp.json` to this:

```json
{
    "name": "Project Name",
    "protocol": "ftp",
    "port": 21,
    "uploadOnSave": true,
    "syncMode": "full",
    "ignore": [
        "**/.vscode/**",
        "**/.git/**",
        "**/.obsidian/**",
        "**/apps/**",
        ".DS_Store",
        "**/*.py",
        "**/.env",
        "**/sites.json"
    ],
    "profiles": {
        "staging": {
            "remote": "cpanel-staging",
            "remotePath": "staging.site.com/"
        },
        "production": {
            "remote": "cpanel-prod",
            "remotePath": "site.com/"
        }
    },
    "defaultProfile": "staging"
}

```

### How to use this new workflow:

1. **Safety First:** By setting `"defaultProfile": "staging"`, any time you save a file, it will automatically upload to your **Staging** site first.
2. **Switching to Production:**
* Press **`Ctrl + Shift + P`**.
* Type **"SFTP: Set Profile"**.
* Select **production**.
* Now, when you save or sync, it goes to the live site.


3. **Visual Confirmation:** In the bottom status bar of VS Code, you should see the name of the profile you are currently using.

---

### Pro Tip: The "Sync" Move

Once you have tested your changes on Staging and you're ready to go live, you don't even have to switch profiles manually for every file. You can:

1. Set profile to **staging** -> **SFTP: Download Project** (to make sure your local is 100% perfect).
2. Set profile to **production** -> **SFTP: Upload Project**.

**Would you like me to show you how to add a "Context Menu" shortcut so you can right-click and "Deploy to Production" instantly?**