A read-only connection test verifies your publishing credentials by listing the configured remote folder without writing, changing, or deleting a single file.
| Term | Read-Only Connection Test |
|---|---|
| Category | APIs, Reliability and Publishing |
| Also known as | Folder List Test |
| Where it appears | Domain tables |
What it means in RankGear
When you attach a publishing target to a domain, RankGear needs to know that the credentials, host, and path you entered actually resolve to a reachable folder before it ever tries to push a file. The read-only connection test does exactly that: it authenticates against the remote target and requests a directory listing of the configured folder. If the listing returns, the connection and path are sound. Because it only reads, running it is safe to repeat at any time — nothing on the live site is touched, so a failed test never leaves a half-written file behind. You will find it alongside each publishing target in the Domain tables.
How to interpret it
Read the result as a two-part answer: can RankGear reach the host, and does the configured folder exist and grant access. A clean listing confirms both. A failure narrows the cause — an authentication error points at the username, password, or key rather than the network, while a missing-path or permission error points at the remote folder itself. Use that distinction to separate a transient hiccup from a genuinely invalid configuration before you commit to a full publish.
| Result | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Folder lists successfully | Host, credentials, and path all valid — safe to publish |
| Authentication rejected | Username, password, or key is wrong; the host is reachable |
| Path missing or access denied | Credentials work, but the configured folder is wrong or not permitted |
| Timeout or no response | Likely transient network or host issue; retry before editing settings |
Example
You add an SFTP target for a staging domain and point it at /public_html/blog. Running the read-only connection test returns the folder contents in about a second, so you know the credentials and path are correct and publish with confidence. A week later the same test fails with an authentication error — the host rotated the SFTP password. Because the test only read the folder, nothing was published in a broken state; you update the stored password and the listing succeeds again.
Important considerations
- The test is deliberately non-destructive: it lists rather than writes, so a passing result confirms reachability and access, not that a subsequent write will succeed if permissions differ for uploads.
- A single timeout is not proof of a bad configuration. Retry once before changing settings, since transient network conditions can fail an otherwise valid target.
- Credentials and remote targets deserve care — secrets stay redacted in diagnostics, and you should keep tests read-only wherever the provider allows it.
- This is a connectivity and access check, not a measure of SEO performance; it says nothing about whether published pages rank.
Related terms
Part of the RankGear glossary · how RankGear measures · the 870 factors.