Securely copy files remotely using SCP

What is SCP used for?

SCP uses ssh for the underlying data transfer and authentication, so it inherits all the security benefits of ssh. It can be used to copy files:

• from your local machine to a remote machine
• from a remote machine to your local machine
• between two remote machines

Auto authentication is possible if you've setup an ssh public/private key pair between two boxes.

Regarding configuration specifics, the ssh config file options in /etc/ssh/ssh_config apply to scp also.

Sample usage

To copy a files from one host to another, use the following syntax:

Copying from your local box to a remote box

So for example, if your username is "tutonics" and you're copying to a directory writable by tutonics called "stuff" on the remote machine (for example 192.168.0.7):

An example of copying to a directory only writeable to root would be:

You can rename the file by explicitly including the new name:

Copying From a Remote Box to Your Local Box

If your username is "tutonics" and you're copying from a directory writable by tutonics called "stuff" on the remote machine (for example 192.168.0.7) to the current location:

An example of copying a file called "somefile" owned by root to tutonics home directory would be:

You can rename the file by providing the new name also:

Copying From a Remote Box to Another Remote Box

If your username is "tutonics" and you're copying from a directory writable by tutonics called "stuff" on the remote machine (for example 192.168.0.7) to a directory writable by tutonics on the same remote machine:

Obviously, we could have copied to a different remote machine if we wished:

Also, you can copy between different users (for example tutonics to root) if you have permission:

And you can rename the file if necessary:

Thanks to Timo Rinne and Tatu Ylonen for their work with scp.