- How to copy files from one machine to another using ssh
- 12 Answers 12
- 4 Ways to Transfer Files Between Remote and Local Systems Over SSH
- Method 1: Use scp command to copy files over SSH
- Copy files from the remote machine to your local machine
- Copy files from your local machine to the remote machine
- You can copy directories too
- Method 2: Use rsync to copy files and directories over SSH
- Copy files from the remote machine to your local machine
- Copy files from your local machine to the remote machine
- How about copying directories with rsync?
- Method 3: Using SSHFS to access files from remote system over SSH
- Method 4: Use a GUI-based SFTP client for transferring files between remote systems
- Which method do you prefer?
- How to copy files over ssh [closed]
- 1 Answer 1
How to copy files from one machine to another using ssh
I am using a Linux (CentOS) machine, and I have already connected to another system using SSH . Now, my question is: How can I copy files from one system to another system? Suppose, in my environment, I have two system like System A and System B . I’m using System A machine and some other using System B machine. How can I copy a file from System B to System A ? And, copy a file from System A to System B ?
I find scp to be a cumber stone often. If it could suite your needs, try this out linuxjournal.com/article/8904 It mounts the remote file system locally.
somewhat related: make an encrypted archive of local dir/ on remote machine using ssh : tar -c dir/ | gzip | gpg -c | ssh user@remote ‘dd of=dir.tar.gz.gpg’
If you has access of the ftp of the remote server, we can also use wget to download like $wget -r —level=9 —no-parent —reject «index.html*» ftp://:@/path/to Reference1 Reference2
Not duplicate, linked question specifically asks not to use scp ; for that one scp is fine and most easy way as answer, so mods please remove duplicate flag as if somebody will go to other one, most useful answer will be missed out.
12 Answers 12
To copy a file from B to A while logged into B :
scp /path/to/file username@a:/path/to/destination
To copy a file from B to A while logged into A :
scp username@b:/path/to/file /path/to/destination
To clarify, you typically don’t use scp to copy a file to or from your local machine (System A) while logged in to a remote server (System B) with ssh . scp will log you into the remote server, copy the file, then log you out again in one process, so just run it from a shell on your local machine. That being said, you can use scp if you’re logged into System B via SSH and want to copy files between System B and System C.
@DopeGhoti. Yes, you can’t move files between two remote computers. Either the source or destination must be a local file. However, if you log in to a remote machine with ssh, you can copy files between two remote machines on that machine’s command-line.
Also, an important thing to remember is that you can only scp to a folder on the target machine to which you have permissions. If you are trying to copy it to a destination to which the target user does not have permission, first copy the file to the user’s home directory or sub directory and then ssh into the target machine and sudo move it over to the final destination
4 Ways to Transfer Files Between Remote and Local Systems Over SSH
From legacy scp to modern rsync. From the unconventional sshfs to the GUI convenience of FileZilla. Learn different ways for copying files over SSH.
Sooner or later, you’ll find yourself in a situation where you have to upload the file to the remote server over SSH or copy a file from it.
There are various ways you can transfer files over SSH. I am going to discuss the following methods here:
- scp: Legacy command which is being deprecated
- rsync: Popular command for file synchronization
- sshfs: Mounting remote directory over SSH
- sftp clients: GUI tool for accessing file over SFTP
For a successful file transfer over SSH, you need to
- have SSH access between the two machines
- know the username and password on the remote machine
- know the IP address or hostname (on the same subnet) of the remote machine
With that aside, let’s see the methods for copying files between remote systems via SSH.
Method 1: Use scp command to copy files over SSH
I have read that scp is going to be deprecated. Still, it is my favorite tool for transferring files between systems over SSH. Why? Because its syntax is similar to the cp command.
Let’s see how to use the scp command.
Copy files from the remote machine to your local machine
Here’s the scenario. You want to copy files from the remote Linux system to the currently logged in system.
Here’s a generic syntax that copies the file from the home directory of the user on the remote system to the current directory of your locally logged in system.
scp [email protected]_address:/home/username/filename .
Do you see the similarity with the cp command? It’s almost the same except that you have to specify username and ip address with colon (:).
Now, let me show you a real-world example of this command.
In the example above, I copied the file remote.txt from the /home/abhishek/my_file directory on the remote system to the current directory of the local machine.
This should give you a hint that you should know the exact location of the file on the remote system. The tab completion does not work on remote systems.
Copy files from your local machine to the remote machine
The scenario is slightly changed here. In this one, you are sending a local file to the remote system over SSH using scp.
This is a generic syntax which will copy the filename to the home directory of username on the remote system.
In the above example, I copied local.txt file from the current directory to the home directory of the user abhishek on the remote system.
Then I logged into the remote system to show that the file has actually been copied.
You can copy directories too
Remember I told you I like scp because of its similarity with the cp command?
Like cp command, you can also use scp to copy directory over SSH. The syntax is similar to the cp command too. You just have to use the -r option.
scp -r source_dir [email protected]_address:/home/username/target_dir
You can do a lot more with it. Read some more examples of scp command in this tutorial:
Method 2: Use rsync to copy files and directories over SSH
Since scp is being deprecated, rsync is the next best tool for copying files between remote system over SSH. Actually, it is better than scp in many terms.
The command syntax is the same as scp. Older versions of rsync had to use rsync -e ssh but that’s not the case anymore.
Copy files from the remote machine to your local machine
Let’s say you want to copy a file from the home directory of the user on the remote system to the current directory of your locally logged in system.
rsync [email protected]_address:/home/username/filename .
Let’s take the same example you saw with scp. I am copying the file remote.txt from the /home/abhishek/my_file directory on the remote system to the current directory of the local machine.
Copy files from your local machine to the remote machine
Here is a generic syntax which will copy the file to the home directory of username on the remote system.
Time to see the real world example. I am copying local.txt file from the current directory to the home directory of the user abhishek on the remote system.
How about copying directories with rsync?
It’s the same. Just use -r option with rsync to copy entire directory over SSH between remote systems.
rsync -r source_dir [email protected]_address:/home/username/target_dir
Take a look at this example. I copy the entire my_file directory from the remote system to the local system.
rsync is a versatile tool. It is essentially a tool for ‘recursively syncing’ the contents between two directories and quite popular for making automated backups.
Method 3: Using SSHFS to access files from remote system over SSH
There is also SSHFS (SSH Filesystem) that can be used to access remote files and directories. However, this is not very convenient just for copying files.
In this method, you mount the remote directory on your local system. Once mounted, you can copy files between the mounted directory and the local system.
You may need to install sshfs on your local system first using your distribution’s package manager.
On Debian and Ubuntu, you may use the following command:
Once you have sshfs installed on your system, you can use it to mount the remote directory. It would be better to create a dedicated directory for the mount point.
Now mount the desired directory on the remote machine in this fashion:
sshfs [email protected]_address:path_to_dir mount_dir
Once it is mounted, you can copy files into this directory or from this directory as if it is on your local machine itself.
Remember that you have mounted this file. Once your work is done, you should also unmount it:
Here’s an example where I mounted the my_file directory from the remote system to the remote_dir directory on the local system. I copied the remote.txt file to the local system and then unmounted the directory.
Method 4: Use a GUI-based SFTP client for transferring files between remote systems
As the last resort, you can use an FTP client for transferring files between remote and local systems.
FileZilla is one of the most popular cross-platform FTP client. You can easily install on your local system.
Once installed, go to File->Site Manager and add the remote system details like IP address, SSH port number, username and password.
Once you connect, you can see a split window view that shows the local filesystem on the left and the remote filesystem on the right.
To transfer the file, drag and drop files from left to right or right to left. A progress bar appears at the bottom.
Which method do you prefer?
Alright! I showed various command line and GUI methods that can be used for copying files over SSH.
Now it is up to you to decide which method to use here. Do comment your preferred method for transferring files over SSH.
How to copy files over ssh [closed]
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How do I copy a file using ssh from my test server to my production server, how do I do this for a single file and how do I do this for multiple files?
1 Answer 1
From Window to Linux
Download https://cygwin.com/ this will give you a proper terminal which will then allow you to run the linux commands as listed below in the From Linux to Linux section.
From Linux to Linux
The essential command is this
The command
scp [ssh login to remote server]:[filepath] [local filepath]
To copy a single file example
scp user@your.server.example.com:/path/to/foo/[filename] /home/user/Desktop/[filename]
To copy a directory example
scp -r user@your.server.example.com:/path/to/foo /home/user/Desktop/
To use full power of scp you need to go through next steps:
Then, for example if you’ll have this ~/.ssh/config:
Host test User testuser HostName test-site.com Port 22022 Host prod User produser HostName production-site.com Port 22022
you’ll save yourself from password entry and simplify scp syntax like this:
scp -r prod:/path/foo /home/user/Desktop # copy to local scp -r prod:/path/foo test:/tmp # copy from remote prod to remote test
More over, you will be able to use remote path-completion:
scp test:/var/log/ # press tab twice Display all 151 possibilities? (y or n)