Linux scp Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to scp on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including secure file copying, remote file transfer, and SSH-based file operations.

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Table of Contents

1. scp Basics
2. Copying Files
3. Copying Directories
4. Advanced Usage
5. Troubleshooting

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scp Basics

Copy File to Server

Basic usage:

# Copy file to server
scp file.txt user@server:/path/to/destination

# Copies file to remote server

Copy File from Server

Download file:

# Copy file from server
scp user@server:/path/to/file.txt .

# Downloads file to current directory

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Copying Files

With Custom Port

Non-standard port:

# Custom SSH port
scp -P 2222 file.txt user@server:/path/

# -P = port (capital P for scp)

Preserve Permissions

Keep permissions:

# Preserve permissions
scp -p file.txt user@server:/path/

# -p = preserve (keeps permissions and timestamps)

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Copying Directories

Recursive Copy

Copy directory:

# Copy directory recursively
scp -r directory/ user@server:/path/

# -r = recursive (copies directory)

Verbose Mode

Show progress:

# Verbose output
scp -v file.txt user@server:/path/

# -v = verbose (shows progress)

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Advanced Usage

Compression

Compress during transfer:

# Compress during transfer
scp -C file.txt user@server:/path/

# -C = compression (faster on slow connections)

Identity File

Use specific key:

# Use specific SSH key
scp -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 file.txt user@server:/path/

# -i = identity (SSH key file)

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Troubleshooting

Permission Denied

Check SSH access:

# Test SSH connection first
ssh user@server

# Ensure SSH works before using scp

Connection Timeout

Check network:

# Test connectivity
ping server

# Verify server is reachable

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Summary

This guide covered scp usage, secure file copying, and remote file transfer for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

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Next Steps

• rsync Guide - Advanced file synchronization
• SSH Configuration - SSH setup
• ssh-keygen Guide - SSH keys
• scp Documentation: man scp

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.