Delivering a deposit

Softcrow offers several ways to deliver a deposit, from simple and manual to fully automated. All methods share one thing: the deposit is end-to-end encrypted (E2EE). The supplier always encrypts client-side, before delivery. Softcrow receives only encrypted files and never holds the encryption key. The supplier shares the key with the beneficiary outside Softcrow.

Every delivery goes through the same steps:

Draw up the deposit specification: describes the contents of the deposit (only for source code deposits)
Gather the deposit data
Compress and encrypt
Upload the deposit file
Confirmation of receipt from Softcrow and display in the Dashboard

Overview

Method	Compression & encryption	Protocol	Connection	Delivery type	Manual	Unattended
Web uploader	Manual	HTTPS	Public (WAN)	Full	✓	—
CLI via HTTPS	Integrated	HTTPS	Public (WAN)	Full	✓	✓
CLI via SFTP	Integrated	SFTP	Public (WAN)	Full	✓	✓
CLI via SFTP over VPN	Integrated	SFTP	Private (LAN)	Full	✓	✓
Snapshots via SFTP	Integrated	SFTP	Public (WAN)	Incremental	✓	✓

Web uploader

The web uploader is the simplest way to deliver a deposit. You gather the contents for the deposit locally and compress and encrypt them into a single file with tooling of your choice. Through the Softcrow Dashboard you upload the encrypted deposit file straight from the browser. No installation needed.

CLI via HTTPS

The Softcrow CLI is a dedicated command line application, available for Windows, macOS, Linux and Unix. A single command compresses, encrypts and delivers the deposit. The CLI can be used manually as well as for automated, periodic uploads.

This method requires a fixed IP address. The supplier’s fixed IP address is admitted by Softcrow to the storage environment. If a fixed IP address is not available, CLI via SFTP is the recommended alternative.

For organisations where system administration policy does not allow scheduled scripts to run, the CLI offers a standardised process that can also be run manually on a periodic basis.

CLI via SFTP

The same CLI as the HTTPS variant, but via SFTP. The recommended choice when a fixed IP address is not available, practical or affordable. Access is arranged via a public SSH key, without requiring a fixed IP address.

CLI via SFTP over VPN

The most shielded deposit option. The SFTP traffic runs through an encrypted VPN tunnel. Suitable for organisations with strict network or security requirements.

Snapshots via SFTP

The incremental deposit option, intended solely for data deposits. Only the changed parts are delivered, not the full deposit. This makes daily delivery of large or frequently changing datasets practical and efficient.

Automation and pipeline integration

The Softcrow CLI is fully scriptable: you can include delivery in any automation process that supports shell commands or PowerShell. In addition, the CLI has specific support for pipeline integration: its behaviour is configurable for unattended execution, retries and status feedback to the pipeline.

Both HTTPS and SFTP support resuming an interrupted upload. The support documentation in the Softcrow Dashboard provides ready-made script examples for automating this, including examples for the most commonly used CI/CD environments.

What does a delivery look like?

The output below shows a full delivery via the CLI, from compression and encryption to upload and confirmation.

root@server:~/scripts/softcrow# softcrow create -v      \
-c cnf/conf-prod-https.ini                              \
-S spc/deposit-specs.md                                 \
-s src                                                  \
-d dst

√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:33 · Start processing deposit to Softcrow
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:33 · Determining disk space for destination dir
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:33 · Filesystem: /dev/vda3 · Total space: 250.9GB · Available space: 227.6GB
  ·
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:33 · Deposit file: softcrow_ssoTestsrcgenpdPK95_20260314-140133.depot
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:33 · Determining source directory · Size: 754.0MB
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:50 · Compressing & Encrypting · Method: AES256-ZIP · Progress: 100% · Size: 744.8MB
  ·
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:50 · Metadata file: softcrow_ssoTestsrcgenpdPK95_20260314-140133.info
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:51 · Calculating deposit file checksum · Algorithm: SHA256 · Progress: 100%
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:51 · Checksum: E3685081CE94BFE728A8E9BB4476FB5F738EFCCA58D82FAE7782D926F7E6BE0D
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:51 · Creating metadata file · Format: JSON · Progress: 100%
  ·
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:59 · Uploading deposit file · Method: HTTPS · Progress: 100%
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:59 · Uploading metadata file · Method: HTTPS · Progress: 100%
  ·
√ · 2026-03-14 14:01:59 · Finished transfer · Speed: 90MB/s · Duration: 25s

What happens after Softcrow receives it?

After the file has been received by Softcrow, it is moved to our storage endpoint. There, metadata is first recorded in the database, including the SHA256 checksum that we calculate on our side. As soon as the file is stored at its final destination, we send a confirmation by email that also contains the checksum we calculated. At roughly the same time the file appears in the Dashboard, after which it is visible to all parties involved.

Want to know which method best fits your environment, or how to get started?

Contact our technical department →