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  • SCP or secure copy allows secure transferring of files between a local host and a remote host or between two remote hosts.
  • It uses the same authentication and security as the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol from which it is based.

Below when you see # it means from the unix shell.


scp common commands

Simple copy to a remote directory:

# scp filename username@hostname:/home/username/

Copy to current directory (.):

# scp username@hostname:/home/username/filename .

Copy from one remote server to another remote server:

# scp username1@hostname1:/home/username/filename username2@hostname2:/home/username2/

Specify a port - UPPERCASE P:

# scp -P 2200 username@hostname:/home/username/filename .

Using aterick:

# scp username@hostname:/home/username/* .

Copy a whole directory (-r)ecursive):

# scp -r username@hostname:/home/username/ .


scp Options

Switch Action
-1 Forces scp to use protocol 1
-2 Forces scp to use protocol 2
-3 Copies between two remote hosts are transferred through the local host. Without this option the data is copied directly between the two remote hosts. Note that this option disables the progress meter
-4 Forces scp to use IPv4 addresses only
-6 Forces scp to use IPv6 addresses only
-B Selects batch mode (prevents asking for passwords or passphrases)
-C Compression enable. Passes the -C flag to ssh(1) to enable compression
-c cipher Selects the cipher to use for encrypting the data transfer. This option is directly passed to ssh(1)
-F ssh_config Specifies an alternative per-user configuration file for ssh. This option is directly passed to ssh(1).
-i identity_file Selects the file from which the identity (private key) for public key authentication is read. This option is directly passed to ssh(1)
-l limit Limits the used bandwidth, specified in Kbit/s
-P port Specifies the port to connect to on the remote host. Note that this option is written with a capital "P", because -p is already reserved for preserving the times and modes of the file
-p Preserves modification times, access times, and modes from the original file
-q Quiet mode: disables the progress meter as well as warning and diagnostic messages from ssh(1)
-r Recursively copy entire directories. Note that scp follows symbolic links encountered in the tree traversal
-S program Name of program to use for the encrypted connection. The program must understand ssh(1) options
-v Verbose mode. Causes scp and ssh(1) to print debugging messages about their progress. This is helpful in debugging connection, authentication, and configuration problems.