[Basic] How to: Use SFTP to Securely Transfer Files - Linux Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• How to: Use SFTP to Securely Transfer Files on Linux
• Installing an SSH server on an Ubuntu VPS
• Connecting to an SFTP Server
  • Navigating the File System
  • Transferring Files
  • Closing the SFTP Session
  • Changing File Names
  • Creating Directories
  • Copying Directories
  • Preserving File Permissions
• External Resources

How to: Use SFTP to Securely Transfer Files on Linux

SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol or SSH File Transfer Protocol) is a is a secure way to transfer files to and from your VPS. Unlike FTP, which sends usernames and passwords in plain text, SFTP secures the data in transit. SFTP utilizes the SSH protocol. If you have SSH access to your VPS, you can use SFTP to transfer files. There are many SFTP clients with intuitive graphical interfaces, but in this guide we will be covering how to transfer files using a text based command-line.

For this guide we'll be using an Ubuntu VPS.

Installing an SSH server on an Ubuntu VPS

SSH is the main way to connect to SkySilk VPS, so we are ready to utilize SFTP from the start. If you do not have an SSH server already you can install one with

apt-get install openssh-server

Note: It is strongly advisable to harden your SSH security when implementing an SFTP server. There are a number of ways to harden your SSH settings for enhanced security, however they are out of the scope of this guide. A link to a guide on hardening SSH is provided below.

Connecting to an SFTP Server

Connecting to the SFTP server is very similar to connecting with SSH. In Unix based operating systems you can connect via the terminal using the following command

sftp <user>@<VPS_IP_Address_or_Hostname>

For command-line access using Windows you can utilize the PuTTY SFTP client PSFTP. If you installed PuTTY you can locate it by hitting the windows key and typing “PSFTP” in the search field.

You can access your server with PSFTP using the following command

open <VPS_IP_Address_or_Hostname>

You will be prompted to choose the user and enter a password.

Once you are connected to your VPS using SFTP you can begin transferring files.

To see a list of available commands and a short description of each you can enter

help
?

Navigating the File System

Navigating the file system is very similar to getting around in a Linux terminal.

Begin by using pwd to identify which directory you are currently working with.

pwd

Navigate to the desired directory you wish to transfer files to or from using cd

cd <Directory_Path>

List directory contents using ls

ls

Note: You can run the SFTP commands locally by prepending them with “l”

Examples of the previous commands but prepending "l" to operate them on the local host

lpwd
lcd <Local_Directory_Path>
lls

Transferring Files

Now that we are in the correct directories on the local and remote hosts we can begin transferring files.

To copy a file from a remote directory to the local directory you can use

get <Remote_Filename>

To copy a file from the local directory to the remote directory you can use

put <Local_Filename>

Closing the SFTP Session

You can close the SFTP session by entering "bye" or "exit"

bye
exit

Now that you have learned the basics of navigating directories and copying files between remote and local hosts we will dive a little deeper into more advanced commands and their options.

Changing File Names

You can change the filename with

get <Remote_Filename> <New_Filename>
put <Local_Filename> <New_Filename>

Creating Directories

You can create a directory with

mkdir <Directory_Name>

Copying Directories

To recursively copy all the files in a directory and its subdirectories 

get <Remote_Directory_Name> -r
put <Local_Directory_Name> -r

Preserving File Permissions

To preserve file permissions between transfers

get <Remote_Filename> -p
put <Local_Filename> -p

Now you know how to securely transfer files using SFTP in the command-line!

External Resources

SFTP Wikipedia

List of SFTP Clients

SSH Security and Hardening

Join our Private Discord Chat to chat with, as well as find community assistance from other Verified SkySilk Users: https://invite.gg/SkySilk 

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