Ubuntu scp/rsync Basics: File Transfer Between Servers

scp/rsync Basics - File Transfer
Reading time: ~10 min Level: Intermediate

What You'll Learn

  • How to use scp for simple file transfers
  • How to use rsync for efficient synchronization
  • When to use which tool
  • Copy-paste templates for common scenarios

Quick Summary

  • scp: Simple copy over SSH. Good for single files or small transfers.
  • rsync: Efficient sync. Good for large/repeated transfers, only sends differences.

Table of Contents

  1. scp Basics
  2. rsync Basics
  3. When to Use Which
  4. Common Errors and Fixes
  5. Copy-Paste Templates

1. scp Basics

scp (secure copy) transfers files over SSH. Simple and straightforward.

Local → Remote

$ scp /local/file.txt user@remote:/remote/path/

Remote → Local

$ scp user@remote:/remote/file.txt /local/path/

Copy directory (-r)

$ scp -r /local/dir/ user@remote:/remote/path/

Non-standard port (-P)

$ scp -P 2222 /local/file.txt user@remote:/remote/path/

2. rsync Basics

rsync is efficient for large transfers - it only sends differences.

Local → Remote

$ rsync -avz /local/dir/ user@remote:/remote/path/

Remote → Local

$ rsync -avz user@remote:/remote/dir/ /local/path/

Key Options

  • -a: Archive mode (preserves permissions, timestamps, etc.)
  • -v: Verbose output
  • -z: Compress during transfer
  • -n: Dry run (preview without changes)
  • --delete: Delete files on destination not in source
  • --progress: Show progress

Dry run first (recommended)

$ rsync -avzn /local/dir/ user@remote:/remote/path/

3. When to Use Which

Scenario Recommended
Single file, one-time scp
Large directory sync rsync
Repeated backups rsync
Resume interrupted transfer rsync

4. Common Errors and Fixes

Permission denied

  • Check SSH key authentication
  • Verify destination directory permissions
  • Try with sudo if needed

Connection timeout

  • Check SSH connectivity first: ssh user@remote
  • Verify firewall/security group settings

No space left on device

  • Check destination disk space: df -h
  • Clean up before transfer

5. Copy-Paste Templates

scp Templates

# Single file upload
scp /local/file.txt user@remote:/remote/path/

# Single file download
scp user@remote:/remote/file.txt /local/path/

# Directory upload
scp -r /local/dir/ user@remote:/remote/path/

# With non-standard port
scp -P 2222 /local/file.txt user@remote:/remote/path/

rsync Templates

# Sync directory (dry run first)
rsync -avzn /local/dir/ user@remote:/remote/path/
rsync -avz /local/dir/ user@remote:/remote/path/

# With progress display
rsync -avz --progress /local/dir/ user@remote:/remote/path/

# Mirror (delete extra files on destination)
rsync -avz --delete /local/dir/ user@remote:/remote/path/

# Non-standard SSH port
rsync -avz -e "ssh -p 2222" /local/dir/ user@remote:/remote/path/

Related Articles

Test Environment

Commands in this article were tested on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS / bash 5.2.

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