Connect to FTP Data from Blazor Apps

Blazor is a framework for developing modern, client-side web UIs using .NET technology. Instead of coding in JavaScript, developers can use the familiar C# language and .NET libraries to build app UIs.

The CData ADO.NET Provider for FTP can be used with standard ADO.NET interfaces, such as LINQ and Entity Framework, to interact with live FTP data. Since Blazor supports .NET Core, developers can use CData ADO.NET Providers in Blazor apps. In this article, we will guide you to build a simple Blazor app that talks to FTP using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for FTP

CData ADO.NET Providers allow users to access FTP just like they would access SQL Server, using simple SQL queries.

Install the FTP ADO.NET Data Provider from the CData website or from NuGet. Search NuGet for "FTP ADO.NET Data Provider."

Create a FTP-Connected Blazor App

Start by creating a Blazor project that references the CData ADO.NET Provider for FTP

1. Create a Blazor project on Visual Studio.

2. From the Solution Explorer, right click Dependencies, then click Add Project Reference.
3. In the Reference Manager, click the Browse button, and choose the .dll file of the installed ADO.NET Provider (e.g. System.Data.CData.FTP.dll, typically located at C:\Program Files\CData\CData ADO.NET Provider for FTP\lib etstandard2.0).

SELECT FTP Data from the Blazor App

1. Open the Index.razor file from the Project page.
2. In a FTPConnection object, set the connection string:

   To connect to FTP or SFTP servers, specify at least RemoteHost and FileProtocol. Specify the port with RemotePort.

   Set User and Password to perform Basic authentication. Set SSHAuthMode to use SSH authentication. See the Getting Started section of the data provider help documentation for more information on authenticating via SSH.

   Set SSLMode and SSLServerCert to secure connections with SSL.

   The data provider lists the tables based on the available folders in your FTP server. Set the following connection properties to control the relational view of the file system:

   • RemotePath: Set this to the current working directory.
   • TableDepth: Set this to control the depth of folders to list as views.
   • FileRetrievalDepth: Set this to retrieve and list files recursively from the root table.

   Stored Procedures are available to download files, upload files, and send protocol commands. See the Data Model chapter of the FTP data provider documentation for more information.

   For example: RemoteHost=MyFTPServer;

3. The code below creates a simple Blazor app for displaying FTP data, using standard SQL to query FTP just like SQL Server.

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.FTP;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (FTPConnection connection = new FTPConnection(
                   "RemoteHost=MyFTPServer;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Filesize, Filename FROM MyDirectory";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     FTPDataAdapter dataAdapter = new FTPDataAdapter(sql, connection);
                     dataAdapter.Fill(results);
         
                     <table class="table table-bordered">
                         <thead class="thead-light">
                             <tr>
                                 @foreach (DataColumn item in results.Rows[0].Table.Columns)
                                 {
                                     <th scope="col">@item.ColumnName</th>
                                 }
                             </tr>
                         </thead>
                         <tbody>
                             @foreach (DataRow row in results.Rows)
                             {
                                 <tr>
                                     @foreach (var column in row.ItemArray)
                                     {
                                         <td>@column.ToString()</td>
                                     }
                                 </tr>
                             }
                         </tbody>
                     </table>
                 }
             </div>
         </div>
       

4. Rebuild and run the project. The ADO.NET Provider renders FTP data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

   At this point, you have a FTP-connected Blazor app, capable of working with live FTP data just like you would work with a SQL Server instance. Download a free, 30-day trial and start working with live FTP data in your Blazor apps today.