SFTP

Section: User Commands (1)

BSD mandoc

NAME

sftp - Secure file transfer program

SYNOPSIS

sftp [-vC1 ] [-b batchfile ] [-o ssh_option ] [-s subsystem | sftp_server ] [-B buffer_size ] [-F ssh_config ] [-P sftp_server path ] [-R num_requests ] [-S program ] host
sftp [[user@]host[:file [file]]]
sftp [[user@]host[:dir[/]]]

DESCRIPTION

sftp is an interactive file transfer program, similar to ftp(1), which performs all operations over an encrypted ssh(1) transport. It may also use many features of ssh, such as public key authentication and compression. sftp connects and logs into the specified host then enters an interactive command mode.

The second usage format will retrieve files automatically if a non-interactive authentication method is used; otherwise it will do so after successful interactive authentication.

The last usage format allows the sftp client to start in a remote directory.

The options are as follows:

-b batchfile: Batch mode reads a series of commands from an input batchfile instead of stdin Since it lacks user interaction it should be used in conjunction with non-interactive authentication. sftp will abort if any of the following commands fail: get , put , rename , ln rm , mkdir , chdir , lchdir and lmkdir
-o ssh_option: Can be used to pass options to ssh in the format used in ssh_config5. This is useful for specifying options for which there is no separate sftp command-line flag. For example, to specify an alternate port use: sftp -oPort=24
-s subsystem | sftp_server: Specifies the SSH2 subsystem or the path for an sftp server on the remote host. A path is useful for using sftp over protocol version 1, or when the remote sshd does not have an sftp subsystem configured.
-v: Raise logging level. This option is also passed to ssh.
-B buffer_size: Specify the size of the buffer that sftp uses when transferring files. Larger buffers require fewer round trips at the cost of higher memory consumption. The default is 32768 bytes.
-C: Enables compression (via ssh's -C flag).
-F ssh_config: Specifies an alternative per-user configuration file for ssh This option is directly passed to ssh(1).
-P sftp_server path: Connect directly to a local sftp-server (rather than via ssh This option may be useful in debugging the client and server.
-R num_requests: Specify how many requests may be outstanding at any one time. Increasing this may slightly improve file transfer speed but will increase memory usage. The default is 16 outstanding requests.
-S program: Name of the program to use for the encrypted connection. The program must understand ssh(1) options.
-1: Specify the use of protocol version 1.

INTERACTIVE COMMANDS

Once in interactive mode, sftp understands a set of commands similar to those of ftp(1). Commands are case insensitive and pathnames may be enclosed in quotes if they contain spaces.

bye: Quit sftp.
cd path: Change remote directory to path
lcd path: Change local directory to path
chgrp grp path: Change group of file path to grp grp must be a numeric GID.
chmod mode path: Change permissions of file path to mode
chown own path: Change owner of file path to own own must be a numeric UID.
exit: Quit sftp.
[flags ]: remote-path [local-path ] Retrieve the remote-path and store it on the local machine. If the local path name is not specified, it is given the same name it has on the remote machine. If the -P flag is specified, then the file's full permission and access time are copied too.
help: Display help text.
lls [ls-options [path ] ]: Display local directory listing of either path or current directory if path is not specified.
lmkdir path: Create local directory specified by path
ln oldpath newpath: Create a symbolic link from oldpath to newpath
lpwd: Print local working directory.
ls [path ]: Display remote directory listing of either path or current directory if path is not specified.
lumask umask: Set local umask to umask
mkdir path: Create remote directory specified by path
[flags ]: local-path [local-path ] Upload local-path and store it on the remote machine. If the remote path name is not specified, it is given the same name it has on the local machine. If the -P flag is specified, then the file's full permission and access time are copied too.
pwd: Display remote working directory.
quit: Quit sftp.
rename oldpath newpath: Rename remote file from oldpath to newpath
rmdir path: Remove remote directory specified by path
rm path: Delete remote file specified by path
symlink oldpath newpath: Create a symbolic link from oldpath to newpath
! command: Execute command in local shell.
!: Escape to local shell.
?: Synonym for help.

AUTHORS