How to check a remote path is a file or a directory?

Question

I am using SFTPClient to download files from the remote server. However, I don't know if the remote path is a file or a directory. If the remote path is a directory, I need to handle this directory recursively.

This is my code:

def downLoadFile(sftp, remotePath, localPath):
    for file in sftp.listdir(remotePath):  
        if os.path.isfile(os.path.join(remotePath, file)): # file, just get
            try:
                sftp.get(file, os.path.join(localPath, file))
            except:
                pass
        elif os.path.isdir(os.path.join(remotePath, file)): # dir, need to handle recursive
            os.mkdir(os.path.join(localPath, file))
            downLoadFile(sftp, os.path.join(remotePath, file), os.path.join(localPath, file))

if __name__ == '__main__':
    paramiko.util.log_to_file('demo_sftp.log')
    t = paramiko.Transport((hostname, port))
    t.connect(username=username, password=password)
    sftp = paramiko.SFTPClient.from_transport(t)

I found the problem: The function os.path.isfile or os.path.isdir returns False. So, it looks like these functions can not work for remotePath.

possible duplicate of [using st\_mode to identify file or directory](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/15861967/using-st-mode-to-identify-file-or-directory) — Martijn Pieters, Aug 13 '13 at 09:47
@thefourtheye i just want to download a directory using `SFTPClient`. — BlackMamba, Aug 13 '13 at 09:49
@MartijnPieters The file is on romote server, i can check the st_mode in local server? — BlackMamba, Aug 13 '13 at 09:50
@BlackMamba: You use the `lstat()` function to retrieve the stat info from the server. — Martijn Pieters, Aug 13 '13 at 09:52

Martijn Pieters · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-13T09:56:19.477

os.path.isfile() and os.path.isdir() only work on local filenames.

I'd use the sftp.listdir_attr() function instead and load full SFTPAttributes objects, and inspect their st_mode attribute with the stat module utility functions:

import stat

def downLoadFile(sftp, remotePath, localPath):
    for fileattr in sftp.listdir_attr(remotePath):  
        if stat.S_ISDIR(fileattr.st_mode):
            sftp.get(fileattr.filename, os.path.join(localPath, fileattr.filename))

score 6 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 06 '18 at 18:26

Below steps to be followed to verify if remote path is FILE or DIRECTORY:

1) Create connection with remote

transport = paramiko.Transport((hostname,port))
transport.connect(username = user, password = pass)
sftp = paramiko.SFTPClient.from_transport(transport)

2) Suppose you have directory "/root/testing/" and you would like to check through ur code.Import stat package

import stat

3) Use below logic to check if its file or Directory

fileattr = sftp.lstat('root/testing')
if stat.S_ISDIR(fileattr.st_mode):
    print 'is Directory'
if stat.S_ISREG(fileattr.st_mode):
    print 'is File'

score 4 · Answer 3 · answered May 02 '16 at 19:52

4

use module stat

import stat

for file in sftp.listdir(remotePath):  
    if stat.S_ISREG(sftp.stat(os.path.join(remotePath, file)).st_mode): 
        try:
            sftp.get(file, os.path.join(localPath, file))
        except:
            pass

answered May 02 '16 at 19:52

wsdzbm

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score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Jul 04 '21 at 09:54

Maybe this solution? It is not proper one but one of possible if you need to combine with listing directory.

    is_directory = False

    try:
        sftp.listdir(path)
        is_directory = True
    except IOError:
        pass

    return is_directory

How to check a remote path is a file or a directory?

4 Answers4