Chapter 07

Servers

A panel can show a folder on a server. You can browse it, preview files, copy and move files in both directions, create folders, delete files, and browse archives stored on the server.

Supported connection types:

Type	Use for
SFTP	Servers you reach with SSH
SMB	Windows shares, Samba servers and most NAS devices
WebDAV	Nextcloud, ownCloud, NAS devices, web servers with WebDAV
S3	Amazon S3 and S3-compatible storage such as MinIO, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Wasabi and DigitalOcean Spaces

Connecting with an address

Press ⌘G / Ctrl+G.
Type the server address and press Enter.

Type	Address
SFTP	`sftp://user@host/absolute/path`, or `sftp://user@host/~/folder` for a folder in your home directory
SMB	`smb://user@server/share/folder`
WebDAV over HTTPS	`webdavs://user@host/server/path`
WebDAV over HTTP	`webdav://user@host/server/path`
S3 over HTTPS	`s3://access-key@server/bucket/folder`, or `s3://bucket/folder` for Amazon S3
S3 over HTTP	`s3+http://access-key@server/bucket/folder`

Add a port after the host name if the server doesn't use the standard port, for example sftp://anna@example.com:2222/srv. For S3 servers that need a region, add ?region= and the region name.

If the server needs a password, Orchard Commander asks for it. Select Remember in the system keychain to save it.

Saved connections

Press ⌘K / Ctrl+K to open Connect to server. It lists your saved connections.

Button	Action
Connect	Open the selected connection in the active panel
New…	Create a connection
Edit…	Change the selected connection
Delete	Remove the selected connection and its saved password (unless another saved connection uses the same account)

Saved connections also appear in the drive list (⌥F1 / Alt+F1 and ⌥F2 / Alt+F2), marked ⇄.

Creating a connection

Press ⌘K / Ctrl+K and click New….
Select the Type.
Optionally enter a Name, which is shown in the connection list.
Fill in the fields for the connection type (see below).
Enter the password or secret key, if needed. Select Remember in the system keychain to save it.
Click Save connection.

Connection fields

SFTP (SSH)

Field	Description
Server	Host name or IP address
Port	Leave empty for port 22
User	Your user name on the server
Key file	Optional private key file, for example `~/.ssh/id_ed25519`. Enter its passphrase in the password field.
Start folder	The folder to open, absolute or relative to your home directory

Without a password or key file, Orchard Commander uses your SSH agent and your default SSH keys.

SMB (network share)

Field	Description
Server	Host name or IP address
Port	Leave empty for port 445
Share	The name of the share, for example `media`
User	Your user name
Start folder	A folder inside the share

You must enter the share name; Orchard Commander can't list the shares of a server.

WebDAV (HTTPS) and WebDAV (HTTP, unencrypted)

Field	Description
Server	Host name, for example `cloud.example.com`
Port	Leave empty for 443 (HTTPS) or 80 (HTTP)
Server path	The WebDAV path on the server. For Nextcloud: `/remote.php/dav/files/USER`, where USER is your user name
User	Your user name
Start folder	A folder below the server path

Tip

For Nextcloud, create an app password in your Nextcloud security settings and use it instead of your account password.

S3 (HTTPS) and S3 (HTTP, unencrypted)

Field	Description
Server	Leave empty for Amazon S3, or enter the server, for example `minio.local`
Port	Leave empty for 443 (HTTPS) or 80 (HTTP)
Region	Leave empty to detect it automatically
Access key ID	Leave empty to read public buckets only
Start folder	A bucket and folder, for example `photos/2026`. Leave empty to list your buckets.

Enter the secret access key in the Secret key field.

Server security

SFTP host keys. The first time you connect to an SFTP server, Orchard Commander shows the server's key fingerprint and asks whether to trust it. Compare the fingerprint with the one your server administrator gave you. A trusted key is remembered. If a server's key changes later, the connection is refused.

Certificates. WebDAV and S3 over HTTPS check the server's certificate against your system's trusted certificates. If a server uses a certificate your system doesn't trust, such as a self-signed certificate on a NAS, its fingerprint is shown and you can trust it. If that certificate changes later, the connection is refused.

Passwords are saved only if you select Remember in the system keychain. They are stored in the macOS Keychain, the Windows Credential Manager or the Linux Secret Service, not in Orchard Commander's settings files.

Working on a server

A server panel works like a local panel, with these differences:

F8 deletes permanently. Servers have no trash, and the confirmation says so.
Opening a file downloads it to a temporary folder first.
Moving files within the same server is done on the server, without downloading them.
S3: The top level lists your buckets. F7 creates a bucket there, and F8 deletes a bucket with all its contents. Below the top level, folders work as in the S3 web console. S3 doesn't keep modification times you set; files show the time they were uploaded.

Disconnecting

Press ⇧⌘K / Ctrl+Shift+K to close the connection of the server shown in the active panel. Panels showing that server switch to your home folder.

Servers on your local network (macOS)

The first time Orchard Commander connects to a server on your local network, macOS asks whether to allow it to find and connect to devices on your local network. Click Allow. If you clicked Don't Allow, see Troubleshooting.