📁 Automated FTP file migration with smart cleanup and email notifications

⚡ 226 views · 📁 File Management

Description

Automated FTP File Migration with Smart Cleanup and Email Notifications

Overview

This n8n workflow automates the secure transfer of files between FTP servers on a scheduled basis, providing enterprise-grade reliability with comprehensive error handling and dual notification systems (email + webhook). Perfect for data migrations, automated backups, and multi-server file synchronization.

What it does

This workflow automatically discovers, filters, transfers, and safely removes files between FTP servers while maintaining complete audit trails and sending detailed notifications about every operation.

Key Features:

Use Cases

🏢 Enterprise & IT Operations

📊 Business Operations

🔧 Development & DevOps

How it works

📋 Workflow Steps

  1. Schedule Trigger → Initiates workflow at specified intervals
  2. File Discovery → Lists files from source FTP server with optional recursion
  3. Smart Filtering → Applies customizable filters (type, size, date, name patterns)
  4. Secure Download → Retrieves files to temporary n8n storage with retry logic
  5. Safe Upload → Transfers files to destination with directory auto-creation
  6. Transfer Validation → Verifies successful upload before proceeding
  7. Source Cleanup → Removes original files only after confirmed success
  8. Comprehensive Logging → Records all operations with detailed metadata
  9. Dual Notifications → Sends email + webhook notifications for success/failure

🔄 Error Handling Flow

Setup Requirements

🔑 Credentials Needed

  1. Source FTP Server

    • Host, port, username, password
    • Read permissions required
    • SFTP recommended for security

  2. Destination FTP Server

    • Host, port, username, password
    • Write permissions required
    • Directory creation permissions

  3. SMTP Email Server

    • SMTP host and port (e.g., smtp.gmail.com:587)
    • Authentication credentials
    • For success and error notifications

  4. Monitoring API (Optional)

    • Webhook URL for system integration
    • Authentication tokens if required

⚙️ Configuration Steps

  1. Import Workflow → Load the JSON template into your n8n instance
  2. Configure Credentials → Set up all required FTP and SMTP connections
  3. Customize Schedule → Adjust cron expression for your timing needs
  4. Set File Filters → Configure regex patterns for your file types
  5. Configure Paths → Set source and destination directory structures
  6. Test Thoroughly → Run with test files before production deployment
  7. Enable Monitoring → Activate email notifications and logging

Customization Options

📅 Scheduling Examples

0 2 * * *     # Daily at 2 AM
0 */6 * * *   # Every 6 hours  
0 8 * * 1-5   # Weekdays at 8 AM
0 0 1 * *     # Monthly on 1st
*/15 * * * *  # Every 15 minutes

🔍 File Filter Patterns

# Documents
\\.(pdf|doc|docx|xls|xlsx)$

# Images  
\\.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif|svg)$

# Data Files
\\.(csv|json|xml|sql)$

# Archives
\\.(zip|rar|7z|tar|gz)$

# Size-based (add as condition)
{{ $json.size > 1048576 }}  # Files > 1MB

# Date-based (recent files only)
{{ $json.date > $now.minus({days: 7}) }}

📁 Directory Organization

// Date-based structure
/files/{{ $now.format('YYYY/MM/DD') }}/

// Type-based structure  
/files/{{ $json.name.split('.').pop() }}/

// User-based structure
/users/{{ $json.owner || 'system' }}/

// Hybrid approach
/{{ $now.format('YYYY-MM') }}/{{ $json.type }}/

Template Features

🛡️ Safety & Security

📧 Notification System

Success Notifications:

Error Notifications:

📊 Monitoring & Analytics

Production Considerations

🚀 Performance Optimization

🔧 Maintenance

Testing Protocol

🧪 Pre-Production Testing

  1. Phase 1: Test with 1-2 small files (< 1MB)
  2. Phase 2: Test error scenarios (invalid credentials, network issues)
  3. Phase 3: Test with representative file sizes and volumes
  4. Phase 4: Validate email notifications and logging
  5. Phase 5: Full production deployment with monitoring

⚠️ Important Testing Notes

Support & Documentation

This template includes:

Technical Specifications

Who is this for?

🎯 Primary Users

💼 Industries & Use Cases

🔗 Nodes Used

Send Email, FTP, Schedule Trigger, Filter

📥 Import

Download workflow.json and import into n8n: Workflow menu → Import from File

📖 Importing guide · 🔑 Credential setup