Move files to and from your server

Files move over SSH, with the same password or key. Nothing to install on the server, no extra port to open.

Run these on your own computer. A short name from ~/.ssh/config, such as web-01, works in place of [email protected]: see Make an SSH key and use it.

Copy a file with scp#

scp works like cp, with user@address: in front of the side that's on the server.

scp $env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\site.zip [email protected]:~/

scp [email protected]:~/backup.tar.gz $env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\

scp -r $env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\site [email protected]:~/

scp ~/Desktop/site.zip [email protected]:~/

scp [email protected]:~/backup.tar.gz ~/Downloads/

scp -r ~/Desktop/site [email protected]:~/

scp ~/site.zip [email protected]:~/

scp [email protected]:~/backup.tar.gz ~/Downloads/

scp -r ~/site [email protected]:~/

Keep a folder in step with rsync#

rsync only sends what changed, and an interrupted copy carries on when you run it again. Install it on the server:

sudo apt install -y rsync

sudo dnf install -y rsync

macOS and Linux have it already. On Windows, use WSL, or WinSCP's Synchronize.

Send a folder to the server:

rsync -avz --progress ~/site/ [email protected]:/var/www/example.com/

• -a keeps permissions and times, and copies folders inside folders.
• -v lists what it sends, -z compresses it on the way.
• The slash at the end of ~/site/ matters: it means "what's in the folder". Without it, you'd get /var/www/example.com/site/.

To make the server's copy match yours exactly, add --delete. Try --dry-run first, which changes nothing:

rsync -avz --delete --dry-run ~/site/ [email protected]:/var/www/example.com/

Drag and drop with an SFTP app#

WinSCP (Windows), Cyberduck (macOS, Windows) or FileZilla (all three) show your computer on one side and the server on the other. Set up a connection with:

In WinSCP, choose the key under Advanced, SSH, Authentication, and it offers to convert it. FileZilla takes it as it is, under Settings, SFTP. Trust the server's key the first time, as with SSH.

You can also use SFTP from a terminal on any of the three systems:

sftp [email protected]

Inside, put file uploads, get file downloads, ls and cd look around on the server, and exit leaves.

"Permission denied" when uploading#

alex can only write where alex may. A folder like /var/www/example.com belongs to root until you hand it over. On the server:

sudo chown -R alex:alex /var/www/example.com

Don't log in as root instead: after Secure a new server it can't, which is how it should be.