9.3.3. Using the sftp Utility

9.3.3. Using the `sftp` Utility

The sftp utility can be used to open a secure, interactive FTP session. In its design, it is similar to ftp except that it uses a secure, encrypted connection.

To connect to a remote system, use a command in the following form:

sftp username@hostname

For example, to log in to a remote machine named penguin.example.com with john as a username, type:

~]$ sftp [email protected]
[email protected]'s password:
Connected to penguin.example.com.
sftp>

After you enter the correct password, you will be presented with a prompt. The sftp utility accepts a set of commands similar to those used by ftp (see Table 9.3, “A selection of available sftp commands”).

Table 9.3. A selection of available `sftp` commands

Command	Description
`ls` [`directory`]	List the content of a remote `directory`. If none is supplied, a current working directory is used by default.
`cd` `directory`	Change the remote working directory to `directory`.
`mkdir` `directory`	Create a remote `directory`.
`rmdir` `path`	Remove a remote `directory`.
`put` `localfile` [`remotefile`]	Transfer `localfile` to a remote machine.
`get` `remotefile` [`localfile`]	Transfer `remotefile` from a remote machine.

For a complete list of available commands, refer to the sftp man page.