Delphi ActiveX

FTP through SSH Tunnel with Dynamic Port Forwarding

See more FTP Examples

Demonstrates how to start a background thread that runs a portable SSH tunnel w/ dynamic port forwarding that the foreground thread can be used for establishing FTP sessions through an SSH tunnel.

Note: Some developers may be accustomed to starting an stunnel.exe proxy from https://www.stunnel.org. The stunnel.exe is not necessary here. Chilkat's background thread fulfills the task of what the external stunnel.exe does. Therefore, your application is self-contained, meaning that it can run anywhere because the SSH tunnel proxy is built-in.

Delphi ActiveX

uses
    Winapi.Windows, Winapi.Messages, System.SysUtils, System.Variants, System.Classes, Vcl.Graphics,
    Vcl.Controls, Vcl.Forms, Vcl.Dialogs, Vcl.StdCtrls, Chilkat_TLB;

...

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
success: Integer;
tunnel: TChilkatSshTunnel;
sshHostname: WideString;
sshPort: Integer;
ftp: TChilkatFtp2;
localFilename: WideString;
remoteFilename: WideString;
waitForThreadExit: Integer;

begin
success := 0;

// This example assumes the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
// See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

success := 0;

tunnel := TChilkatSshTunnel.Create(Self);

sshHostname := 'sftp.example.com';
sshPort := 22;

// Connect to an SSH server and establish the SSH tunnel:
success := tunnel.Connect(sshHostname,sshPort);
if (success <> 1) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(tunnel.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

// Authenticate with the SSH server via a login/password
// or with a public key.  
// This example demonstrates SSH password authentication.
success := tunnel.AuthenticatePw('mySshLogin','mySshPassword');
if (success <> 1) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(tunnel.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

// Indicate that the background SSH tunnel thread will behave as a SOCKS proxy server
// with dynamic port forwarding:
tunnel.DynamicPortForwarding := 1;

// We may optionally require that connecting clients authenticate with our SOCKS proxy server.
// To do this, set an inbound username/password.  Any connecting clients would be required to 
// use SOCKS5 with the correct username/password.
// If no inbound username/password is set, then our SOCKS proxy server will accept both
// SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 unauthenticated connections.

tunnel.InboundSocksUsername := 'chilkat123';
tunnel.InboundSocksPassword := 'password123';

// Start the listen/accept thread to begin accepting SOCKS proxy client connections.
// Listen on port 1080.
success := tunnel.BeginAccepting(1080);
if (success <> 1) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(tunnel.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

// Now that a background thread is running a SOCKS proxy server that forwards connections
// through an SSH tunnel, it is possible to use any Chilkat implemented protocol that is SOCKS capable,
// such as HTTP, POP3, SMTP, IMAP, FTP, etc.  The protocol may use SSL/TLS because the SSL/TLS
// will be passed through the SSH tunnel to the end-destination.  Also, any number of simultaneous
// connections may be routed through the SSH tunnel.

ftp := TChilkatFtp2.Create(Self);

// Indicate that the HTTP object is to use our portable SOCKS proxy/SSH tunnel running in our background thread.
ftp.SocksHostname := 'localhost';
// The SocksPort must equal the port passed to BeginAccepting above.
ftp.SocksPort := 1080;
ftp.SocksVersion := 5;
// The SOCKS5 login/password set here must equal the InboundSocksUsername/Password set above.
ftp.SocksUsername := 'chilkat123';
ftp.SocksPassword := 'password123';

// This is the actual FTP server domain or IP address, and the login/password for the user account on the destination FTP server.
ftp.Hostname := 'ftp.someFtpServer.com';
ftp.Username := 'myLogin';
ftp.Password := 'myPassword';
ftp.AuthTls := 1;

// Connect and login (via the SSH tunnel) to the FTP server.
success := ftp.Connect();
if (success <> 1) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(ftp.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

// Change to the remote directory where the file is located.
// This step is only necessary if the file is not in the root directory
// for the FTP account.
success := ftp.ChangeRemoteDir('junk');
if (success <> 1) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(ftp.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

localFilename := 'c:/temp/hamlet.xml';
remoteFilename := 'hamlet.xml';

// Download a file.  (the data connection is also automatically established through the 
// SSH tunnel using dynamic port forwarding..)
success := ftp.GetFile(remoteFilename,localFilename);
if (success <> 1) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(ftp.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

// The disconnect is disconnecting with the FTP server and closes the SSH tunnel.
// The background tunnel thread is still running, and may be used for subsequent FTP connections,
// or even connections for any other purpose, such as HTTP, IMAP, SMTP, POP3, etc.
success := ftp.Disconnect();

// When the app is finished with the tunnel, it can cleanup..

// Stop the background listen/accept thread:
waitForThreadExit := 1;
success := tunnel.StopAccepting(waitForThreadExit);
if (success <> 1) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(tunnel.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

// Close the SSH tunnel (would also kick any remaining connected clients).
success := tunnel.CloseTunnel(waitForThreadExit);
if (success <> 1) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(tunnel.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;
end;