Scp file transfer command

This ensures that even if the data is intercepted, it is protected. This guide will walk you through how to transfer or copy files using the SCP command. Typically, you do not need to specify the location for a file in your current directory.

To copy all. This example copies the test. If a remote system is configured to listen to SSH requests on a port other than the default Port 22 , Use the —P switch to specify the port:.

This copies test. This would replicate the test. The system will prompt you to enter the password for user1 and user2 before the operation can complete. If the operation is interrupted, the multiplexer will allow you to resume the copy without having to start over. You can check whether your system has tmux installed by running the following in a terminal:. Note: If you do not have tmux on your system, learn how you can install and use tmux. The SCP command does not check the destination location before writing.

Any files in the destination with the same name will be overwritten without notification. If you run into errors while copying, you can try a root user account to troubleshoot permissions. The section immediately following the options is the source path of the file you want to copy. You can copy from your system to a remote system, or vice-versa.

This would copy the test. Just like any other commands used in the terminal, the SCP also have a format that is used for a successful execution to happen. By understanding the syntax it makes it easier for you to write down the commands:. Since we are dealing with file transmission, it definitely means that there have to be an involvement of more than one machine to make the process possible.

We are able to use SCP in the following cases:. At this point, it will be fair to state that before you use any SCP commands you will need to have a few things in place:. When using the SCP commands you will need to specify a few things for this to happen.

You will have to specify the path to the file as the source and also specify the remote host path, where the files are being copied to. Let's take a scenario where we have a file test. We are not limited to the number of files we can copy.

Let's say we are on our desktop in the folder called web where we have. Our command will look like:. Let's say you wanted to copy a file named test. The command will be:. In this example we have copied a file test. A better way to understand this is by use of an example. Take a scenario where you want to copy files from remote system. To copy the files you will need to first invoke the SCP, followed by the remote username IP address, path to file.

If you do not specify the path, it is assumed as default in this case which will be the user's home directory, this will be followed the path where the file will be stored locally.

Let's say I wanted to copy a file named linuxcheatsheet from the remote device with this address Then, I specify the current directory as the local location to store the file by typing a dot. The beauty of using SCP in file transferring, is that it does not only allow connection between local machines but also it allows for you to connect to remote servers.

Let's say we wanted to copy a file named test. What this command will do is copy test. When copying multiple files, all you need to do is specify the file name as the source path. Whether you are a support engineer, system admin, or even a growing developer like myself who uses Linux or wants to learn it — it's likely that you will have to transfer files at some point.

And knowing these simple SCP commands will come in handy. In this article, we have covered some of the most common scenarios where you'd want to use SCP and hopefully you have learned something new. If you read this far, tweet to the author to show them you care. Tweet a thanks.

Learn to code for free. Get started. Forum Donate. Hillary Nyakundi. What are SCP Commands? SCP Syntax Just like any other commands used in the terminal, the SCP also have a format that is used for a successful execution to happen.