SCP (Secure Copy Protocol)

What is SCP?

SCP allows you to copy files securely between:

• Local machine to remote server

• Remote server to local machine

• One remote server to another remote server

• Local directory to remote directory

• Remote directory to local system

Basic SCP Syntax

scp [options] source destination

In this syntax, source is the file or directory you want to copy, and destination is the location where you want to place it.

Copy File from Local to Remote Server

This is one of the most commonly used SCP commands. It uploads a file from your local system to a remote Linux server.

scp test.sql root@192.168.0.92:/root/

This command copies test.sql from your local machine to the /root/ directory of the remote server.

Copy File from Remote Server to Local Machine

You can also download a file from a remote server to your local machine using SCP.

scp root@192.168.0.92:/root/test.sql .

Here, the dot . means the file will be downloaded into the current local directory.

Copy File from Local to Remote with a Different Name

SCP also allows you to rename the file while copying it to the destination server.

scp test.sql root@192.168.0.92:/root/database_backup.sql

This command uploads test.sql and saves it as database_backup.sql on the remote server.

Copy Multiple Files to Remote Server

You can copy multiple files using wildcard patterns.

scp *.txt root@192.168.0.92:/root/

This command copies all .txt files from the current local directory to the remote server.

Copy File to Remote User Home Directory

To copy files to the remote user's home directory, use ~/.

scp test.sql root@192.168.0.92:~/

The ~/ symbol represents the home directory of the remote user.

Copy Directory from Local to Remote Server

To copy a full directory, use the -r option. This copies the directory recursively with all files and subdirectories.

scp -r /var/www/project root@192.168.0.92:/var/www/

This command copies the complete project directory to the remote server.

Copy File Using a Custom SSH Port

By default, SCP uses SSH port 22. If your SSH server is running on a custom port, use the -P option.

scp -P 2205 test.sql root@192.168.0.92:/root/

This command connects to the remote server using port 2205.

Copy File Between Two Remote Servers

SCP can also transfer files directly between two remote servers.

scp root@192.168.0.91:/root/test.sql root@192.168.0.92:/root/

This copies test.sql from server 192.168.0.91 to server 192.168.0.92.

Useful SCP Options

Use Custom SSH Port

scp -P 2205 test.sql root@192.168.0.92:/root/

Copy Directory Recursively

scp -r /var/www/project root@192.168.0.92:/var/www/

Preserve File Permissions and Timestamps

scp -p test.sql root@192.168.0.92:/root/

Enable Compression

scp -C test.sql root@192.168.0.92:/root/

Debug SCP Connection

scp -v test.sql root@192.168.0.92:/root/

Real-World SCP Examples

Upload MySQL Backup to Remote Server

scp test.sql root@192.168.0.92:/root/

Download MySQL Backup from Remote Server

scp root@192.168.0.92:/root/test.sql test.sql

Upload Laravel Project to Remote Server

scp -r /var/www/laravel-app root@192.168.0.92:/var/www/

Download Apache Configuration File

scp root@192.168.0.92:/etc/apache2/sites-enabled/000-default.conf .

Upload Apache Error Log

scp /var/log/apache2/error.log root@192.168.0.92:/root/logs/

Common SCP Errors and Solutions

Permission Denied

Permission denied (publickey,password)

This error usually means the username, password, SSH key, or file permission is incorrect.

• Check the remote username

• Check SSH password or private key

• Verify destination folder permission

• Try logging in with SSH first

ssh root@192.168.0.92

Connection Refused

ssh: connect to host 192.168.0.92 port 22: Connection refused

This means SSH may not be running, or the server is using a different SSH port.

systemctl status ssh

ss -tulnp | grep ssh

No Such File or Directory

No such file or directory

This means the source file path or destination path is incorrect. Always verify the file path before running SCP.

ls -lh test.sql

Best Practices for SCP

• Use SSH keys instead of passwords for better security.

• Use a non-root user whenever possible.

• Verify the destination path before copying files.

• Use -P if SSH is running on a custom port.

• Use -r only when copying directories.

• Use -v for troubleshooting connection issues.

Conclusion

SCP is a simple, secure, and reliable command-line tool for transferring files between Linux systems. Whether you want to copy a file from local to remote, download a file from remote to local, transfer database backups, move Laravel projects, or copy server logs, SCP provides a fast and encrypted way to complete the task.

For Linux administrators, DevOps engineers, database administrators, and developers, SCP is one of the most useful commands for daily server management and secure file transfer.