Delete a Remote File on an SFTP Server

Demonstrates the Chilkat SFtp.RemoveFile method, which deletes a remote file. The only argument is the file path.

Background: Deletion is immediate and permanent — SFTP has no trash or undo — so a job that removes files should be certain of the path first. Whether deletion is even allowed depends on the account's permissions on the file and its containing directory, since on Unix-like systems the right to remove a file comes from write permission on the directory, not the file itself.

Chilkat C Downloads

Download Chilkat for C

#include <C_CkSFtp.h>

void ChilkatSample(void)
    {
    BOOL success;
    HCkSFtp sftp;
    int port;
    const char *password;

    success = FALSE;

    //  Demonstrates the SFtp.RemoveFile method, which deletes a remote file.  The only argument is
    //  the file path.

    sftp = CkSFtp_Create();

    //  Connect, authenticate, and initialize the SFTP subsystem.
    port = 22;
    success = CkSFtp_Connect(sftp,"sftp.example.com",port);
    if (success == FALSE) {
        printf("%s\n",CkSFtp_lastErrorText(sftp));
        CkSFtp_Dispose(sftp);
        return;
    }

    //  Normally you would not hard-code the password in source.  You should instead obtain it
    //  from an interactive prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
    password = "mySshPassword";

    success = CkSFtp_AuthenticatePw(sftp,"mySshLogin",password);
    if (success == FALSE) {
        printf("%s\n",CkSFtp_lastErrorText(sftp));
        CkSFtp_Dispose(sftp);
        return;
    }

    success = CkSFtp_InitializeSftp(sftp);
    if (success == FALSE) {
        printf("%s\n",CkSFtp_lastErrorText(sftp));
        CkSFtp_Dispose(sftp);
        return;
    }

    //  Delete a remote file.
    success = CkSFtp_RemoveFile(sftp,"subdir/obsolete.txt");
    if (success == FALSE) {
        printf("%s\n",CkSFtp_lastErrorText(sftp));
        CkSFtp_Dispose(sftp);
        return;
    }

    printf("File removed.\n");

    CkSFtp_Disconnect(sftp);


    CkSFtp_Dispose(sftp);

    }