What is SFTP?
SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is a secure file transfer protocol that uses SSH encryption to transfer files. Unlike regular FTP, SFTP encrypts both commands and data, providing a higher level of security.
Connection Commands
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
sftp user@hostname |
Connect to an SFTP server | sftp user@example.com |
sftp -P port user@hostname |
Connect to an SFTP server with a specific port | sftp -P 2222 user@example.com |
sftp -i keyfile user@hostname |
Connect using a private key file | sftp -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa user@example.com |
exit or bye or quit |
End your SFTP session | exit |
Navigation Commands
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
pwd |
Display current remote directory | pwd |
lpwd |
Display current local directory | lpwd |
cd directory |
Change remote directory | cd /var/www/html |
lcd directory |
Change local directory | lcd ~/Documents |
ls |
List contents of remote directory | ls -la |
lls |
List contents of local directory | lls -la |
File Transfer Commands
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
get remotefile [localfile] |
Download a file from remote to local | get data.txt ~/Downloads/data.txt |
get -r remotedir [localdir] |
Download a directory recursively | get -r /var/www/images ~/backup |
put localfile [remotefile] |
Upload a file from local to remote | put report.pdf /home/user/docs/ |
put -r localdir [remotedir] |
Upload a directory recursively | put -r ~/project /var/www/ |
mget *.txt |
Download multiple files using wildcards | mget *.jpg |
mput *.txt |
Upload multiple files using wildcards | mput *.html |
Tip: Use the
-r flag with get and put to transfer directories recursively.
File Management Commands
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
mkdir directory |
Create a directory on the remote server | mkdir /home/user/newdir |
lmkdir directory |
Create a directory on the local machine | lmkdir ~/newdir |
rm file |
Delete a file on the remote server | rm /home/user/oldfile.txt |
rmdir directory |
Delete an empty directory on the remote server | rmdir /home/user/emptydir |
rename oldname newname |
Rename a file on the remote server | rename file.txt newfile.txt |
chmod permissions file |
Change permissions of a remote file | chmod 644 file.txt |
Warning: Be careful when using
rm and rmdir commands as they permanently delete files and directories.
Helpful SFTP Client Commands
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
help or ? |
Show available commands | help |
!command |
Execute a local shell command | !ls -la |
df -h |
Display disk space usage | df -h |
version |
Show SFTP version | version |
progress |
Toggle display of progress meter | progress |
Command Line SFTP Examples
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| Non-interactive file upload | echo "put file.txt" | sftp user@hostname |
| Non-interactive file download | echo "get file.txt" | sftp user@hostname |
| Using a batch file of commands | sftp -b batchfile.txt user@hostname |
| Setting password in script (not recommended) | sshpass -p "password" sftp user@hostname |
Security Note: Using passwords in scripts is not secure. Use SSH keys for authentication whenever possible.