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

# CSV Import

The CSV Import pulls **CSV files from an SFTP server you control** and turns each row into a record on a Data Feed. Reach for it when your source system is a nightly export, a partner-supplied feed, or any process that drops a file on a server but doesn't expose an API.

 Auth

SFTP credentials

 Update methods

Trigger · Polling

 Resources

Content (one record per row)

The CSV Import follows the standard integration model - see [how integrations work](https://docs.frontic.com/connectors/overview.md) for Connection, Channels, and Data Feeds. This page covers the SFTP-specific configuration and the row-to-record translation.

## Install and setup

There's no plugin to install. You provide an SFTP endpoint and Frontic does the rest.

**1. Decide where files will live**

Pick a directory on an SFTP server Frontic can reach. Best practice: a dedicated user with read+delete on a single base path, not your whole filesystem.

**2. Add the integration in Frontic**

In Frontic admin, **Integrations → Add → CSV Import**. Enter the SFTP host, port, username, password, and base path.

**3. Test the connection**

Frontic opens a connection, lists the base path, and confirms it reached the server. Fix credentials or firewall rules until this test passes.

**4. Add channels and feeds**

Configure at least one channel (declares which project locales the rows resolve into) and one Data Feed per filename pattern you want to ingest. See the sections below.

## Connection settings

**Use SFTP** `boolean` *required*

Currently the only supported transport. Reserved for future protocols.

**Host** `string` *required*

SFTP server hostname or IP.

**Port** `string` (default: 22)

SFTP port.

**Username** `string` *required*

SFTP user. Use a dedicated account scoped to the import directory.

**Password** `string` *required*

SFTP password. Stored encrypted; redacted in logs.

**Base path** `string` (default: /)

The root directory the connector lists from. Feed-level configurations are evaluated relative to this path.

The settings panel shows a **Connection Status** indicator. When the SFTP connection is broken, it surfaces the reason returned by the server - so you can tell whether credentials are missing, the host is unreachable, or auth was rejected. Re-test after rotating credentials.

## Channels

Unlike connectors with source-side segmentation (Shopware sales channels, Storyblok spaces), CSV files aren't natively segmented. The CSV Import's channels exist purely to declare which **project translations** each CSV row should be resolved into. Each row gets the same payload across every translation on the channel - see "Same row across all locales" under [Good to know](#good-to-know) for the implication.

Per channel, the connector stores:

**Channel Name** `string` *required*

A label for the channel in Frontic.

**Available Translations** `multiselect` *required*

Project locale keys the CSV's rows resolve into. Every row gets the same payload across all of these.

**Fallback Translation** `select` *required*

The translation used as fallback for missing values.

For multi-locale data via CSV with locale-specific copy, see "Same row across all locales" below for the workaround.

## Data Feeds

The CSV Import exposes a single resource type - **Content** (one record per row). Each Data Feed binds a filename pattern under your base path; you can have many feeds per integration if you have many file types (products, customers, categories, …).

The standard **Settings → Updates → Schema** setup wizard applies - see [Data Feeds in the overview](https://docs.frontic.com/connectors/overview.md#data-feeds). For CSV Import specifically:

* **Updates step** - Polling and manual trigger are supported. The Ingest API isn't used.
* **No feed Refresh.** Each polling pass reprocesses every matching file. Use **Cleanup files** so processed files aren't picked up next time, or version filenames so the regex matches only new ones.

### Feed configuration

**Start dir** `string`

Subdirectory under the base path where this feed's files live. Empty = base path itself.

**Delimiter** `string` (default: ;)

Field delimiter. Allowed values: `,`, `;`, `\t` - anything else is rejected.

**Filename** `string` *required*

Regex pattern matched against filenames in the start dir. For example `^products_\d{8}\.csv$` matches `products_20260426.csv`.

**Use lockfile** `boolean`

When on, before reading any file the connector checks for a lock file in the same folder. If a lock file exists, the run aborts - no files are processed. Useful for partner uploads that drop a `.lock` while writing.

**Lockfile** `string`

*(Sub-config of **Use lockfile**.)* The exact filename to look for as the lock file. Defaults to empty (no check).

**Sort files and folders** `boolean`

When on, files are processed in filename order. Useful when filenames carry timestamps and order matters.

**Folder sort** `string` (default: ASC)

*(Sub-config of **Sort files and folders**.)* Either `ASC` or `DESC`.

**Use custom identifier** `boolean`

When on, the record's Source ID is built from one or more named columns instead of an `id` column. Multi-column identifiers are joined with `-`.

**Custom identifiers** `string[]`

*(Sub-config of **Use custom identifier**.)* Column names to use as the Source ID.

**Custom parent identifiers** `string[]`

*(Sub-config of **Use custom identifier**.)* Column names whose values become each record's parent identifier - joined with `-` when you list more than one. Use this when rows represent child records (e.g. product variants) and a column carries the parent's key. Leave empty when records have no parent.

**Cleanup files** `boolean` (default: false)

Delete each file after a successful run.

**Cleanup folders** `boolean` (default: false)

*(Sub-config of **Cleanup files**.)* After cleaning files, also remove directories that ended up empty.

## What the data looks like

### One row, one record

The header row of the CSV becomes the field keys; each subsequent row becomes a record. Whitespace in headers is trimmed. The Source ID for a record is taken from the `id` column unless you've set **Custom identifiers**.

```csv theme={"theme":"css-variables"}
id;name;sku;price_eur;price_usd
1001;Cotton Tee;TEE-001;19.99;21.99
1002;Linen Shirt;SHI-002;49.99;54.99
```

The two rows above produce two records on the feed: `1001` and `1002`. As CSV files come in, the feed's schema fills in automatically from the column headers - no need to declare fields up front in the wizard's Schema step.

## Good to know

* **CSV only.** No JSON, no XML, no Excel. If you need other formats, convert upstream or use the [Custom Integration](https://docs.frontic.com/connectors/custom.md) and the [Ingest API](https://docs.frontic.com/reference/ingest-api.md).
* **Same row across all locales.** A CSV row produces the **same payload for every locale** on the channel. The CSV Import doesn't read column-name suffixes like `name_de` / `name_en` natively. To split by locale: ingest the fields raw and resolve translations in your [Value Composer](https://docs.frontic.com/data-integration/value-composer.md), or split your data into per-locale files and feeds and map them via the Data Sync.
* **No real-time.** The connector polls. Webhook-style "the moment a file arrives" delivery isn't supported - set the polling cadence for your acceptable lag.
* **Every run re-reads every matching file.** There's no file-level "I've seen this before" check - if a file stays in the directory, it's parsed again on the next run. Rows that haven't materially changed still short-circuit at the storage layer ([change detection](https://docs.frontic.com/connectors/overview.md#change-detection)), so downstream impact is contained - but each row counts as an API Update at intake. Use **Cleanup files** to delete processed files, or version filenames so the regex picks up only the new ones.

## Related

> [card] [Custom Integration](https://docs.frontic.com/connectors/custom.md)
>
> For source systems with their own API - push records directly via the Ingest API.

> [card] [Ingest API](https://docs.frontic.com/reference/ingest-api.md)
>
> The HTTP push path when SFTP polling isn't the right fit.


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