Linux sftp Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to sftp on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including secure file transfer protocol, interactive file operations, and remote file management.

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Table of Contents

1. sftp Basics
2. Interactive Mode
3. sftp Commands
4. Batch Mode
5. Troubleshooting

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sftp Basics

Connect to Server

Basic usage:

# Connect to server
sftp user@server

# Opens interactive sftp session

With Custom Port

Non-standard port:

# Custom SSH port
sftp -P 2222 user@server

# -P = port (capital P for sftp)

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Interactive Mode

Basic Commands

Common commands:

# In sftp:
# ls          - List remote files
# lls         - List local files
# cd          - Change remote directory
# lcd         - Change local directory
# pwd         - Print remote working directory
# lpwd        - Print local working directory

File Operations

Transfer files:

# In sftp:
# get file.txt        - Download file
# put file.txt        - Upload file
# get -r directory/    - Download directory
# put -r directory/    - Upload directory

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sftp Commands

Download Files

Get files:

# In sftp:
# get file.txt
# get file.txt local_name.txt
# get -r directory/

Upload Files

Put files:

# In sftp:
# put file.txt
# put file.txt remote_name.txt
# put -r directory/

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Batch Mode

Batch File

Automated transfer:

# Create batch file
echo "get file.txt" > batch.txt
echo "put local.txt" >> batch.txt

# Run batch
sftp -b batch.txt user@server

# -b = batch (executes commands from file)

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Troubleshooting

Connection Failed

Check SSH:

# Test SSH connection
ssh user@server

# Ensure SSH works first

Permission Denied

Check permissions:

# On server, check directory permissions
ls -la /path/to/directory

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Summary

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

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Next Steps

• scp Guide - Simple file copying
• rsync Guide - Advanced synchronization
• SSH Configuration - SSH setup
• sftp Documentation: man sftp

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