SFTP Cheatsheet
Connect and Authenticate
Open an SFTP session against a remote host.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
sftp user@hostname
|
Connect to remote server |
sftp [email protected] |
Connect by IP |
sftp -P 2222 user@hostname |
Connect to a custom SSH port |
sftp -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 user@hostname |
Connect with a specific key |
sftp -b commands.txt user@hostname |
Run commands from a batch file |
quit |
Quit session |
bye |
Quit session (alias for quit) |
Local and Remote Paths
Navigate directories on both sides of the session.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
pwd |
Show remote working directory |
lpwd |
Show local working directory |
cd /remote/path |
Change remote directory |
lcd /local/path |
Change local directory |
ls |
List remote files |
lls |
List local files |
ls -la |
Long listing of remote files |
Download Files
Pull files from the remote server to the local system.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
get file.txt |
Download one file |
get remote.txt local.txt |
Download and rename locally |
get -r remote_dir |
Download a directory recursively |
get -P file.txt |
Preserve file permissions and timestamps |
mget *.log |
Download multiple files matching a pattern |
reget large.iso |
Resume an interrupted download |
Upload Files
Push local files to the remote server.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
put file.txt |
Upload one file |
put local.txt remote.txt |
Upload with a remote name |
put -r local_dir |
Upload a directory recursively |
put -P file.txt |
Preserve permissions and timestamps |
mput *.txt |
Upload multiple files |
reput large.iso |
Resume an interrupted upload |
Remote File Management
Manage files and directories on the SFTP server.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
mkdir dirname |
Create remote directory |
rmdir dirname |
Remove empty remote directory |
rm file.txt |
Delete remote file |
rename old.txt new.txt |
Rename remote file |
ln source link |
Create a hard link on the remote |
ln -s source link |
Create a symbolic link on the remote |
df -h |
Show remote filesystem usage |
Permissions and Ownership
Adjust permissions and ownership on remote files.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
chmod 644 file.txt
|
Change remote file mode |
chown 1000 file.txt
|
Change remote owner by UID |
chgrp 1000 file.txt |
Change remote group by GID |
umask 022 |
Set default permission mask |
Session Helpers
Inspect and control the active session.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
!command |
Run a local shell command |
! |
Drop into a local shell |
version |
Show SFTP protocol version |
progress |
Toggle transfer progress meter |
help or ? |
List available SFTP commands |
Non-Interactive and Scripting
Use SFTP from scripts and automated jobs.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
sftp -b script.txt user@host |
Run a batch file of commands |
sftp -q user@host |
Quiet mode (suppress banner and progress) |
sftp -o IdentityFile=key user@host |
Pass any ssh_config option |
echo "get file.txt" | sftp -b - user@host |
Pipe commands via stdin |
AI Assistant
