To intervene directly on your site — deploy an update, fix a bug, modify configuration files — we need access to your server. This access typically goes through FTP/SFTP or SSH. Here’s what it means in practice, why it’s necessary, and how to provide it to us.
FTP, SFTP, SSH: what’s the difference?
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol): the historical protocol for transferring files to a server. Simple, but unencrypted — data is transmitted in plain text. To be avoided as much as possible.
- SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol): the secure version of FTP. Files are transferred via an encrypted connection. This is what we use by default.
- SSH (Secure Shell): direct access to the server's command line. Allows executing scripts, managing dependencies, restarting services, or deploying code. Essential for Laravel projects.
Why do we need it
Deploy updates
Any modification of your site’s code — bug fixes, new features, updating dependencies — must be deployed on the server. Without access, we rely on you for each deployment, which significantly slows down the work.
Intervene directly on files
Some fixes require direct access to the server files: modifying a configuration file, clearing a server cache, correcting a misconfigured file permission, or analyzing error logs in real-time.
Diagnose server issues
When your site displays a 500 error, a blank screen, or unexpected behavior, the server logs contain the explanation. These files are only accessible via SSH or SFTP — not through the CMS or back office.
Manage dependencies and the environment
Laravel projects require command line operations: installing dependencies via Composer, running database migrations, managing scheduled tasks (cron jobs), or configuring environment variables. All of this is done via SSH.
Configure automated deployments
For projects where we set up a continuous deployment pipeline (CI/CD), SSH access is necessary to configure the connection between your server and your Git repository.
What we cannot do without this access
- Deploy code directly — each update requires your intervention.
- Consult error logs to diagnose an incident.
- Modify server configuration files.
- Execute Laravel commands (migrations, cache, queues...).
- Check file permissions or the state of the environment.
Is it risky to give us this access?
A well-configured FTP/SFTP or SSH access does not pose any particular risk, provided you follow a few best practices:
- Create a dedicated user for Mermio, with rights limited to the necessary directories — rather than giving us the credentials of the main administrator account.
- Use SSH key authentication (rather than password): more secure and more convenient. We can provide you with our public key to add to your server.
- Revoke access at the end of the mission if you do not wish to maintain permanent access.
How to give us access depending on your host
Infomaniak
- Log in to manager.infomaniak.com.
- Go to Web Hosting → select your hosting.
- In the FTP Users tab, create a new user with a dedicated password and rights to your site’s directory.
- Send us the credentials via a secure channel (we can offer you a Bitwarden Send link or equivalent).
Other host
The procedure varies depending on the host. Contact us and we will guide you based on your configuration.