Windows
Linux
Networking
Windows scp equivalent in Linux
Transfers files or directories securely between local and remote systems.
Windows
→
scp
Linux equivalents
scp file user@host:/path/
scp file user@host:/path/
scp file user@host:/path/
Overview
What this command does
Transfers files or directories securely between local and remote systems.
Migration tip:
scp uses SSH authentication. For resumable synchronization or large directory trees, rsync -e ssh is often better.Practical tasks
Common use cases
Copy files over SSH
Transfers files or directories securely between local and remote systems.
scp file.txt user@example.com:/tmp/
Upload one file
scp user@example.com:/var/log/app.log .
Download one file
scp -r folder/ user@example.com:/srv/
Upload a directory recursively
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
scp file.txt user@example.com:/tmp/
scp user@example.com:/var/log/app.log .
scp -r folder/ user@example.com:/srv/
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
scp file.txt user@example.com:/tmp/ # upload a file
scp user@example.com:/var/log/app.log . # download a file
scp -r folder/ user@example.com:/srv/ # copy a directoryReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
scp file.txt user@example.com:/tmp/ | Upload one file |
scp user@example.com:/var/log/app.log . | Download one file |
scp -r folder/ user@example.com:/srv/ | Upload a directory recursively |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
This command is the same on Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch Linux when the relevant tool is installed.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | scp file user@host:/path/ |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | scp file user@host:/path/ |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | scp file user@host:/path/ |
Same command on this distribution. |
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