Logging In to a Remote System to Copy a File (sftp)

Logging In to a Remote System to Copy a File (`sftp`)

The sftp command is an interactive file transfer program with a user interface similar to ftp. However, sftp uses the SSH File Transfer Protocol to create a secure connection to the server. Not all options available with the ftp command are included in the sftp command, but many of them are.

Essential `sftp` Commands

The following table lists essential sftp commands.

Table 3-2 Essential sftp Commands

Command	Description
`sftp` `remote-system`	Establishes an `sftp` connection to a remote system. For instructions, see How to Open and Close an `sftp` Connection to a Remote System.
`sftp` `remote-system`:`file`	Copies the named `file` from `remote-system`.
`bye`	Quits the `sftp` session.
`help`	Lists all `sftp` commands.
`ls`	Lists the contents of the remote working directory.
`lls`	Lists the contents of the local working directory.
`pwd`	Displays the name of the remote working directory.
`cd`	Changes the remote working directory.
`lcd`	Changes the local working directory.
`mkdir`	Creates a directory on the remote system.
`rmdir`	Deletes a directory on the remote system.
`get`	Copies a file from the remote working directory to the local working directory.
`put`	Copies a file from the local working directory to the remote working directory.
`delete`	Deletes a file from the remote working directory.

For more information, see the sftp(1) man page.

How to Open and Close an `sftp` Connection to a Remote System

Open a connection to a remote system by using the sftp command.
```
$ sftp remote-system
```
If the connection succeeds, a confirmation message and prompt are displayed.
If prompted, type your password.
```
Password: password
```
If the sftp interface accepts your password, it displays a confirmation message and the (sftp>) prompt.
You can now use any of the commands that are supplied by the sftp interface, including help. The principal commands are summarized in Table 3-2.
Close the sftp connection.
```
sftp> bye
```

Example 3-2 Opening an sftp Connection to a Remote System

This sftp session was established to connect to the remote system pluto:

$ sftp pluto
Connecting to pluto.
Password: password
sftp>

How to Copy Files From a Remote System (`sftp`)

Establish an sftp connection.
See How to Open and Close an sftp Connection to a Remote System.
(Optional) Change to a directory on the local system where you want the files copied to.
```
sftp> lcd target-directory
```
Change to the source directory.
```
sftp> cd source-directory
```
Ensure that you have read permission for the source files.
```
sftp> ls -l
```
To copy a file, use the get command.
Metacharacters may be used with the get command.
```
sftp> get filename 
```
Close the sftp connection.
```
sftp> bye
```

Example 3-3 Copying a File From a Remote System (sftp)

In this example, the user opens an sftp connection to the system pluto, and uses the get command to copy a single file from the /tmp directory.

$ sftp pluto
Connecting to pluto...
Password: xxx
sftp> lcd /tmp
sftp> cd /tmp
sftp> ls
filea
files
ps_data
sftp> get filea
/tmp/filea                                100%  494     0.5KB/s   00:00
sftp> bye

How to Copy Files to a Remote System (`sftp`)

Change to the source directory on the local system.
The directory from which you type the sftp command is the local working directory and thus the source directory for this operation.
Establish an sftp connection.
See How to Open and Close an sftp Connection to a Remote System.
You can change to the target directory.
```
sftp> cd target-directory
```
Ensure that you have write permission in the target directory.
```
sftp> ls -l target-directory
```
To copy a single file, use the put command.
Metacharacters may be used with the get command.
```
sftp> put filename
```
Close the sftp connection.
```
sftp> bye
```

Example 3-4 Copying a File to a Remote System (sftp)

In this example, the user opens an sftp connection to the system pluto, and uses the put command to copy a file from their system to the /tmp directory on system pluto.

$ cd /tmp
$ sftp pluto
Password: xxx
sftp> cd /tmp
sftp> put filef
uploading filef to /tmp/filef
filef                                     100%  325     0.3KB/s   00:00
sftp> ls
filea
filef
files
sftp> bye

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	Managing Remote Systems in Oracle Solaris 11.1 Oracle Solaris 11.1 Information Library

Essential sftp Commands

How to Open and Close an sftp Connection to a Remote System

How to Copy Files From a Remote System (sftp)

How to Copy Files to a Remote System (sftp)

Logging In to a Remote System to Copy a File (`sftp`)

Essential `sftp` Commands

How to Open and Close an `sftp` Connection to a Remote System

How to Copy Files From a Remote System (`sftp`)

How to Copy Files to a Remote System (`sftp`)