> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.fastcat.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# SFTP & phpMyAdmin

> Open a temporary, isolated session to your site's files or database from the panel.

File and database access is **session-based**. Instead of leaving permanent credentials lying around, you open a session from the **Files & Database** tab when you need one, and it closes itself when you're done.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Files (SFTP)" icon="folder-tree">
    Read/write access to your full WordPress directory with any SFTP client.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Database (phpMyAdmin)" icon="database">
    A private phpMyAdmin instance, isolated to this one site.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Opening a session

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose how long you need">
    30 minutes, 1 hour (the default), 4 hours— or **keep open until I revoke** if you're going to be working for a while.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the session">
    The panel starts the sidecar and shows you the connection details. You'll also get an email confirming a session was opened, with a link to revoke it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Revoke it when you're finished">
    Click **Revoke session**, or just let it expire— we tear it down automatically and the credentials stop working.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Session credentials are shown **only while the session is active**, and a new session gets new ones. Copy what you need before you close the tab.
</Warning>

## Files (SFTP)

The panel gives you a host, a port unique to your session, and a username. Use any SFTP client— FileZilla, Cyberduck, WinSCP, or the OpenSSH `sftp` command.

You land in `/site`, which is your complete WordPress directory: core files, `wp-config.php`, `wp-content`, and anything else you've put there. Files you upload are owned by the web server, so WordPress can read and write them.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Password">
    Leave the public key field empty and the panel issues a one-off password for the session.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="SSH key (recommended)">
    Paste your SSH public key when you open the session. Password authentication is then **disabled** for that session— key only.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Note>
  SFTP is file transfer only. There's no shell on your container; use WordPress, phpMyAdmin, or the panel for everything else.
</Note>

## Database (phpMyAdmin)

Opening a phpMyAdmin session gives you a private URL plus a username and password for the gate in front of it. Clear that gate and phpMyAdmin signs you in to your database automatically— no separate database credentials to hunt down.

Use it to browse tables, run queries, and import or export SQL dumps.

<Warning>
  A bad query can take a site down in a second. Take a [restore point](/wordpress/backups) before running anything destructive, and prefer exporting a table before you edit it.
</Warning>

## Good habits

* Prefer short sessions. Indefinite access is there for long jobs, not as a default.
* Revoke a session as soon as you're done— especially if you shared the credentials with a developer.
* Sessions can't be opened while WordPress is still installing on a brand-new site; wait for the banner to clear.