sftp
Networking
Usage
sftp [-P <port>] <user>@<host>An interactive file transfer tool riding on the ssh connection; the port flag is a capital `-P` rather than ssh's `-p`, and it cannot run remote shell commands, only its own put, get and ls.
Common flags
| Flag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| -P 2222 | Port, capital P. ssh uses lowercase -p for the same thing. |
| -i <key> | Use a specific private key. |
| -r | Recursive, for put -r and get -r on directories. |
| -b <batchfile> | Run a list of commands without a prompt, for scripts. |
| put / get / ls / lcd | Its own commands inside the session; lcd changes the local directory. |
Examples
sftp -P 2222 deploy@example.comOpen an interactive transfer session.
sftp deploy@example.com:/var/log/app.log .Fetch one file without entering the prompt.
When a connection fails, these narrow down how far it got — name not resolving, no route, or a blocked port.
How to read this
- Square brackets [ ] mark a part you may leave out.
- An ellipsis … means you can list more than one.
- Flags are case-sensitive — in some commands -r and -R do different things.
Questions
Q. What does sftp do?
An interactive file transfer tool riding on the ssh connection; the port flag is a capital `-P` rather than ssh's `-p`, and it cannot run remote shell commands, only its own put, get and ls.
Q. How do I type it?
sftp [-P <port>] <user>@<host> — square brackets mark the parts you can leave out.
Q. How many flags are worth knowing?
5 are listed here; the full set is in man sftp. This command sits under Networking.
Related commands
man page: man sftp