SCPSFTPFiles5 min read

Transfer files with SCP and SFTP

Transfer files between your local machine and VPS securely using SCP, SFTP, and rsync.

SCP and SFTP are secure methods to transfer files between your local machine and your VPS over SSH.

SCP — Secure Copy

SCP copies files over SSH in a single command.

Upload a file to the VPS

bash
scp localfile.txt deploy@YOUR_VPS_IP:/home/deploy/

Download a file from the VPS

bash
scp deploy@YOUR_VPS_IP:/home/deploy/remotefile.txt ./

Upload a directory (recursive)

bash
scp -r ./myproject deploy@YOUR_VPS_IP:/home/deploy/

Download a directory

bash
scp -r deploy@YOUR_VPS_IP:/home/deploy/myproject ./

Use a custom SSH port

bash
scp -P 2222 localfile.txt deploy@YOUR_VPS_IP:/home/deploy/

SFTP — SSH File Transfer Protocol

SFTP provides an interactive file transfer session.

Connect

bash
sftp deploy@YOUR_VPS_IP

SFTP commands

bash
ls              # List remote files
lls             # List local files
cd /var/www     # Change remote directory
lcd ~/Desktop   # Change local directory
put file.txt    # Upload file
get file.txt    # Download file
mput *.html     # Upload multiple files
mget *.log      # Download multiple files
mkdir newdir    # Create remote directory
rm file.txt     # Delete remote file
exit            # Close session

rsync — Efficient synchronization

rsync only transfers changed files, making it ideal for deployments:

bash
# Sync local directory to VPS
rsync -avz --progress ./dist/ deploy@YOUR_VPS_IP:/var/www/mysite/

# Sync with delete (mirror)
rsync -avz --delete ./dist/ deploy@YOUR_VPS_IP:/var/www/mysite/

# Exclude files
rsync -avz --exclude 'node_modules' --exclude '.git' ./ deploy@YOUR_VPS_IP:/home/deploy/myapp/

GUI clients

If you prefer a graphical interface:

FileZilla (cross-platform) — connect with SFTP protocol
WinSCP (Windows) — native SCP/SFTP client
Cyberduck (macOS) — supports SFTP

Tip

For automated deployments, use rsync with SSH keys (no password prompts). Combine with a deployment script or CI/CD pipeline for consistent releases to your Baires Host VPS.

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