Core concepts
The handful of ideas that make FileAgent click: jobs, runs, credentials, destinations, transfer modes, schedules, the Archive, and alerts.
Last updated July 17, 2026
#The vocabulary
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Job | A saved transfer definition: a source, a destination, a transfer mode, an optional schedule, and reliability settings. |
| Run | One execution of a job — scheduled or manual. Every run is recorded in the logs with its status and detail. |
| Credential | A stored connection profile (host, account, secret) that jobs reference by name. Secrets are encrypted and never shown in full. |
| Destination / connector | A supported storage system: Local, SMB, FTP, SFTP, Amazon S3, or Azure Blob. Any one can be a source or a destination. |
| Transfer mode | What a job does with files: Copy, Move, or Sync/Mirror. A separate Scheduled Purge mode deletes old files. |
| Schedule | When a job runs automatically — a recurring interval or a precise calendar pattern. |
| Archive | An optional, recoverable copy of files that a job moves, browsable and restorable from the console. |
| Alert | A notification (email, Slack, or Teams) sent when a job run meets a condition you care about. |
#How it fits together
The day-to-day loop is short and predictable:
- Create a credential for each remote system (local folders don't need one).
- Create a job that points a source at a destination and picks a transfer mode.
- Run it manually to confirm it does what you expect.
- Add a schedule so it runs on its own, and alerts so failures find you.
- Review the logs when you want to confirm what happened.
That's it: credential → job → run → logs, with archive and alerts as safety nets.
#The web console and the scheduler
FileAgent runs as a background service so jobs keep running even when no one is signed in. There are two cooperating parts:
- The web console hosts the browser interface where you manage everything.
- The scheduler wakes up on its own, checks which jobs are due, and runs them in the background.
If scheduled jobs ever stop running, the scheduler is the first thing to check — see the Dashboard and scheduling troubleshooting.
#Plans shape what's available
Your plan determines which connectors, transfer modes, and features you can use, and how many users, jobs, and credentials you can create. For example, FTP/SFTP unlock on Pro, cloud storage (S3/Azure) on Business, and Sync/Mirror on Team. The full matrix lives on the pricing page; activation is covered in Licensing & plans.