In addition to manual file uploads, FeedPrep can fetch product feeds directly from a URL or an FTP/SFTP server. This is ideal for suppliers who publish their feeds at a fixed location, or for automating recurring imports.
Importing from a URL
To import a feed from a URL, paste any HTTP or HTTPS link into the URL import field when creating or updating a feed. FeedPrep will fetch the file, auto-detect its format (CSV, XML, XLSX, etc.), and parse it automatically.
This works with any publicly accessible URL, including:
- Supplier-hosted product feeds
- Google Merchant Center XML feeds
- Dropbox or Google Drive shared links (as long as the link points directly to the file)
- Any web server that serves a downloadable file
Scheduled Refresh
You can optionally enable scheduled refresh for URL imports. When enabled, FeedPrep will automatically re-fetch the feed at the interval you configure. This means your feed data stays current without any manual intervention — each time the supplier updates the file at the same URL, FeedPrep picks up the changes on the next scheduled fetch.
Importing from FTP or SFTP
Many suppliers distribute product feeds through FTP or SFTP servers. FeedPrep can connect directly to these servers to fetch your feed files.
To configure an FTP or SFTP import, provide the following details:
- Host — the server address (e.g.,
ftp.supplier.com) - Username — your FTP/SFTP username
- Password — your FTP/SFTP password
- File path — the path to the feed file on the server (e.g.,
/feeds/products.csv) - Port (optional) — a custom port if the server does not use the default (21 for FTP, 22 for SFTP)
FeedPrep will connect to the server, download the specified file, and parse it using the same auto-detection logic as any other import. Scheduled refresh is also available for FTP/SFTP imports.
Auto-Detection After Fetching
Regardless of whether you import from a URL or FTP/SFTP, FeedPrep applies the same format auto-detection as it does for manual uploads. The file format, delimiter, encoding, and row structure are all detected automatically. You do not need to specify these details in advance.
Combining with Supplier Adapters
URL and FTP/SFTP imports can be combined with supplier/adapter auto-assignment. If you associate a feed source with a specific adapter, the incoming data will automatically have the correct column mappings, value mappings, and normalization rules applied. This enables a fully hands-off import pipeline: the feed is fetched on schedule, parsed, normalized, and ready for export — without any manual steps.