How to Transfer Files Between Linux Servers

Overview

Transferring files between your Breezes or from an external server is a fundamental task. This guide covers the most reliable and efficient methods for different scenarios.

Method 1: SCP (Simple Copies)

Best for quick, one-off transfers of individual files or directories:

# Single file
scp /path/to/file.tar.gz root@remote-ip:/destination/

# Entire directory
scp -r /var/www/html root@remote-ip:/var/www/

Method 2: Rsync (Large or Incremental Transfers)

Best for large transfers, syncing directories, or resuming interrupted transfers:

# Sync with compression and progress
rsync -avzP /var/www/html/ root@remote-ip:/var/www/html/

# Exclude specific files or directories
rsync -avzP --exclude='node_modules' --exclude='.git' \
  /opt/myapp/ root@remote-ip:/opt/myapp/

# Dry run to preview changes
rsync -avzPn /source/ root@remote-ip:/destination/

Method 3: tar over SSH (Preserving Permissions)

Ideal when you need to preserve exact ownership and permissions:

tar czf - /var/www/html | ssh root@remote-ip "tar xzf - -C /"

Method 4: SFTP (Interactive Browsing)

sftp root@remote-ip
sftp> put localfile.tar.gz /remote/path/
sftp> get /remote/path/file.tar.gz
sftp> bye

Speed Tips

• Use rsync -avzP for resumable transfers over slow connections
• Use tar piped through SSH for many small files (avoids per-file overhead)
• Add -e "ssh -c aes128-ctr" for faster encryption on trusted networks
• Use screen or tmux for long transfers to survive disconnections

Verify Transfers

# Compare file counts
find /source -type f | wc -l
ssh root@remote-ip "find /destination -type f | wc -l"

# Compare checksums
md5sum largefile.tar.gz
ssh root@remote-ip "md5sum /path/largefile.tar.gz"