Linux copy folder to remote host

How to copy a directory from local machine to remote machine

I am using ssh to connect to a remote machine. Is there a way i can copy an entire directory from a local machine to the remote machine? I found this link to do it the other way round i.e copying from remote machine to local machine.

It should work ! But unless you give us some error message or missbehaviour instead of saying «doesn’t work», we have no way to debug.

@hivert : You are right, its working. I dunno what i did wrong the first time. I dont remember the error exactly but i am unable to reproduce it. Thanks anyway 🙂

5 Answers 5

scp -r /path/to/local/storage user@remote.host:/path/to/copy 

rsync is best for when you want to update versions where it has been previously copied.

If that doesn’t work, rerun with -v and see what the error is.

a is normally the archive flag, but I can’t find it as a valid option on any of the boxes I have access to now, so it has either been removed, or was never there. Either way, it was safe to omit.

It is very easy with rsync as well:

rsync /path/to/local/storage user@remote.host:/path/to/copy 

I recommend the usage of rsync over scp , because it is highly likely that you will one day need a feature that rsync offers and then you benefit from your experience with the tool.

rsync -avz -e 'ssh' /path/to/local/dir user@remotehost:/path/to/remote/dir 

this is if you have to used another ssh port other than 22

rsync -avzh -e 'ssh -p sshPort' /my/local/dir/ remoteUser@host:/path/to/remote/dir 

this works if your remote server uses default 22 port

rsync -avzh /my/local/dir/ remoteUser@host:/path/to/remote/dir 

This worked for me. Follow this link for detailed understanding.

we can do this by using scp command for example:

 scp -r /path/to/local/machine/directory user@remotehost(server IP Address):/path/to/sever/directory 

In case of differnt port

By default, the SCP protocol operates on port 22 but this can be overridden by supplying the -P flag, followed by the port number for example:

scp -P 8563 -r /path/to/local/machine/directory user@remotehost(server IP Address):/path/to/sever/directory 

NOTE: we use -r flag to copy directory’s files/folders recursively instead of a single file.

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Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) in Linux: A Guide to File Transfer from Local to Remote Server

We often need to move files from a local machine to a remote server or vice versa, especially when managing or deploying code on servers. One efficient way to do this is through Secure Copy Protocol (SCP), a tool that’s built into the SSH (Secure Shell) protocol. This guide will walk you through how to use SCP on Linux platforms like Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Debian, among others.

SSH, or Secure Shell, is a protocol that allows secure access to remote computers.

Understanding SSH and SCP: The Basis for Secure File Transfers

SSH , an acronym for Secure Shell, is a protocol used to access remote computers securely. Built into this SSH ecosystem is the Secure Copy Protocol ( SCP ), an effective tool for transferring files between local and remote computers. Its syntax closely resembles the ‘cp’ (copy) command, but it’s geared towards remote file transfer.

Other file transfer applications, such as SFTP and rsync , also harness the power of SSH to secure their file transfers. These applications open up the possibility of securely copying files from local to remote servers, and vice versa.

Introducing the SCP Command on Linux

The SCP command in Linux is a utility for transferring files between remote computers. It’s included by default in most Linux and Unix distributions, including Linux Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Linux Debian, Arch Linux, etc., and is part of the OpenSSH packages.

SCP is your secure solution for transferring files between a remote location and a host, or from your local computer to a remote server, or even between two remote locations.

Using Linux SCP via SSH: A Guide on How to Copy Files

The difference between the cp command and the scp command is that the latter requires you to specify the remote host’s DNS name or IP address and provide username credentials. Here’s how to use SCP for copying files from your local machine to a remote server, and from a remote server to your local machine.

Linux SCP from Local to Remote: How to Copy a Single File

Copying a single file from your local computer to a remote computer using SCP involves the following syntax:

# From current folder you don't need to specify the file path  scp myfile.txt [email protected]:/remote/folder/  # From any folder from your local computer, write the full local path to the file  scp /full/path/to/myfile.txt [email protected]:/remote/folder/ 

Let’s break down these two examples:

In this first example, we’re using SCP to transfer a file called myfile.txt from the current working directory on our local machine to a folder on the remote server.

• myfile.txt is the name of the file we want to transfer.
• username is the username for your account on the remote server.
• remoteserver is the DNS name or IP address of the remote server.
• /remote/folder/ is the path of the directory on the remote server where you want to transfer the file.

By running this command, myfile.txt will be securely copied from your local machine to the specified folder on the remote server.

In the second example, we’re doing the same thing but the file we want to transfer isn’t in our current directory. Instead, it’s located elsewhere on our local machine, and we need to specify its full path.

• /full/path/to/myfile.txt is the absolute path to the file on your local machine. It provides complete information about the file’s location starting from the root directory.

So, when you run this command, again, myfile.txt will be securely transferred from the specified path on your local machine to the designated folder on the remote server.

Both of these SCP commands offer a simple yet powerful way to perform secure file transfer from a local machine to a remote server using SSH, irrespective of where your file is stored locally.

If the target folder on remote host ( /remote/folder/ ) is not specified, it will copy the file to the remote user’s home directory.

The user specified with username need to exist and have write permission to /remote/folder / in the remote system.

Linux SCP from Remote to Local: Copying a Single File

You can also copy a file from a remote server to your local computer using SCP. The syntax is similar, only that you invert the order of the local and remote information:

 # From remote to current local folder  scp use[email protected]:/remote/folder/remotefile.txt localfile.txt  # From remote to local but specifying the local folder target to save the file  scp [email protected]:/remote/folder/remotefile.txt /path/to/local/folder/localfile.txt 

Using a . (dot) as the copy target (in our example replacing localfile.txt to . ), will copy the remote file to the current working directory using the original filename, in this case: remotefile.txt

Copying Several Files Using SCP

You can copy multiple files from your local machine to a remote server, or vice versa. You can either specify each file as a parameter, or use wildcards:

 # Specify each file  scp myfile.txt /local/folder/myfile2.txt [email protected]:/remote/folder/  # Use a wildcard to copy several files from remote  scp [email protected]:/remote/folder/* . 

Recursively Copy Files and Folders from Local to Remote using SCP

To copy recursively files and folders from local to a remote server, you need to use the option -r .

This is particularly useful when setting up a project structure on a remote server:

Copy files using SCP with PEM or CER credential

If you don’t want to type the remote user password when are copying files, you can use a .pem ou .cer file to inform you secure credential to scp ssh connection.

Note that you still need to write the username on the command:

Final considerations

The SCP command in Linux is one of the most efficient and secure methods for transferring files between local and remote computers connected over a network. Whether you need to SCP from local to remote or perform SSH file copy operations, this guide has you covered.

Always remember to verify your SCP operations to ensure the correct files have been transferred.

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