Deploy files to a server
IntelliJ IDEA assumes that all development and testing is done on your computer, and then the code is deployed to a staging or production environment.
The reason to stick to this "local development — deployment" model lies in the way IntelliJ IDEA provides code completion, code inspections, code navigation, and other coding assistance features. All this functionality is based on the project files index which IntelliJ IDEA builds during project analysis when the project is loaded and updates on the fly as you edit your code. Fast analysis and reanalysis of files can be ensured only for local files, that is, files that are stored on your hard disk and are accessible through the file system.
When you are done with development, you can deploy your local project files to the web server using IntelliJ IDEA.
Interaction between IntelliJ IDEA and servers
Interaction between IntelliJ IDEA and servers is controlled through server access configurations. Anytime you are going to use a server, you need to define a server access configuration, no matter whether your server is on a remote host or on your computer.
Taking into account all the above, let's define the following basic concepts related to synchronization between IntelliJ IDEA and servers.
In-place server configuration.
In an in-place server configuration, you open a project folder from an existing local web server's document root directly in IntelliJ IDEA. The configuration maps project files to URLs, and the server uses those files directly. Unlike with a local server configuration, you do not upload, download, or synchronize files between the IntelliJ IDEA project and a separate folder in the server file structure.
Local server configuration.
A local server serves files from a local or mounted folder at a local URL. In a local server configuration, you develop your application in a IntelliJ IDEA project, then upload the project files to the server’s document root, the folder from which the server serves files.
Remote server configuration.
In a remote server configuration, the server runs on another computer (a remote host). To access files on the remote server, use FTP/SFTP/FTPS/WebDAV protocols.
The server configuration root is the highest folder in the file tree on the local or remote server accessible through the server configuration. For in-place servers, it is the project root.
A local file/folder is any file or folder under the project root.
A remote file/folder is any file or folder on the server.
Upload is copying data from the project TO the server, either local or remote.
Download is copying data FROM the server to the project.
After you have configured synchronization with a server, you can upload, download, and manage files on it directly from IntelliJ IDEA. Moreover, you can suppress uploading or downloading specific files or entire folders. Finally, you can optimize your workflow by configuring content roots so specific folders are not involved in project analysis, which significantly saves the analysis time.
File transfer uses the bundled FTP/SFTP/WebDAV Connectivity plugin. If deployment actions are missing, open and enable the plugin. Note that the plugin is available only in IntelliJ IDEA with the Ultimate subscription.