SFTP Access

Overview

In order to leverage Oracle CrowdTwist batch file processes, access to the CrowdTwist SFTP is needed.

SFTP Access Process

  1. Client generates a pair of SSH keys (instructions below)

  2. Client installs their generated public key via Control Center Integrations > SFTP Key Management

  3. Client connects to server with their private key. When the private and public keys match, your account will be granted access to see the contents of the server.

Note: Oracle CrowdTwist supports SSH Keys in OpenSSH format only. Supported OpenSSH key types include ssh-rsa and ssh-ed25519. The ecdsa OpenSSH key type is not supported.

Supported Protocols

KexAlgorithms: curve25519-sha256@libssh.org, diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha256

Ciphers: chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com, aes256-gcm@openssh.com, aes128-gcm@openssh.com, aes256-ctr, aes192-ctr, aes128-ctr

MACs: hmac-sha2-512-etm@openssh.com, hmac-sha2-256-etm@openssh.com, umac-128-etm@openssh.com, hmac-sha2-512, hmac-sha2-256, umac-128@openssh.com

If your SFTP client does not support at least one element from each of the above groups, it will cause your connection to fail.

Manually Generating an SSH key on macOS

  1. Open the Terminal application.
    • In Finder, choose Utilities from the Applications folder.
    • Find Terminal in the Utilities list.
    • Open Terminal (Terminal should open with a prompt displaying the name of your machine and your username).
  2. Enter the following command in the Terminal window and click Enter:
    ssh-keygen -t rsa
  3. Terminal prompts you to create a filename for your key to store it. Type a name and click Enter.
  4. Terminal prompts you to create a passphrase. Type in a passphrase and click Enter. You will be prompted to enter the passphrase a second time.
    • You can also hit Enter to accept the default (no passphrase).
  5. After your passphrase is confirmed, the system generates your key pair.
  6. Locate your public SSH key. In Finder, search your Mac for the filename created in step 3 and add the .pub file extension (the public key is normally identified with the .pub extension).
  7. Send the public SSH key to your CrowdTwist account team to install on the SFTP server (can be sent over email). For security purposes, please do not send your private key. Ensure that the file extension is .pub.

Manually Generating an SSH key on Windows via PuTTYgen

PuTTY is an SSH client for Windows that you will use to generate your SSH keys. You can download PuTTY here.

When you install the PuTTY client, you also install the PuTTYgen utility. PuTTYgen is to generate your SSH keys.

  1. Open the PuTTYgen program.
  2. For Type of key to generate, select SSH-2 RSA.
  3. Click the Generate button.
  4. Move your mouse in the area below the progress bar. When the progress bar is full, PuTTYgen generates your key pair.
  5. Type a passphrase in the Key passphrase field. Type the same passphrase in the Confirm passphrase field. You can use a key without a passphrase, but this is not recommended.
  6. Click the Save private key button to save the private key. You must save the private key. You will need it to connect to the SFTP server
  7. Right-click in the text field labeled Public key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keys file and choose Select All.
  8. Right-click again in the same text field and choose Copy.
  9. Send the public SSH key to your CrowdTwist account team to install on the SFTP server (can be sent over email). For security purposes, please do not send your private key. Ensure that the file extension is .pub.

Manually Generating an SSH key on Windows via OpenSSH Client

  1. Confirm if the OpenSSH client is installed:
    1. Open Settings, then click Apps.
    2. Under Apps and Features, click Optional Features.
    3. Scroll down to see if OpenSSH Client is listed.
      1. If it is not listed, click the plus sign next to Add a feature.
      2. Scroll through the list to find and select OpenSSH Client.
      3. Click Install.
  2. Open Command Prompt.
    1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard or select the Windows menu icon from the bottom toolbar.
    2. Type cmd.
    3. Under Best Match results, right-click Command Prompt.
    4. Click Run as Administrator.
    5. If prompted, click Yes in the “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?” pop-up.
  3. Use OpenSSH to generate an SSH Key Pair.
    1. In Command Prompt, type the following:
    ssh-keygen
  4. The system will save the keys to C:\Users\your_username\.ssh\id_rsa. You have the option of creating a more descriptive name (helps to distinguish keys, especially if more than one set are generated at once). To stick to the default option, press Enter. Otherwise, type a filename before clicking Enter.
    1. Choosing the default option will overwrite key pairs that have been created in the past with the default “id_rsa” naming convention. It is recommended to choose unique naming for every key pair.
  5. Command prompt asks you to create a passphrase. Type in a passphrase and click Enter. You will be prompted to enter the passphrase a second time.
    1. You can also hit Enter to accept the default (no passphrase). However, this is not recommended.
  6. The system will generate the key pair.
  7. Open your file browser.
  8. Navigate to C:\Users\your_username\.ssh.
  9. You should see two files. The file labeled id_rsa.pub (or the filename created in step 4 with .pub extension) is your public SSH key.
  10. Send the public SSH key to your CrowdTwist account team to install on the SFTP server (can be sent over email). For security purposes, please do not send your private key. Ensure that the file extension is .pub.