What is SCP (Secure Copy Protocol)?
Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) is a network protocol that uses SSH encryption to securely transfer files between a local machine and a remote server, or between two remote servers. It provides authentication and confidentiality for data in transit.
How Does Scp Work?
SCP operates over SSH on port 22 and leverages the same authentication mechanisms, including password and public key authentication. Its syntax is straightforward, typically following the pattern scp source destination, where either the source or destination can be a remote path specified as user@host:/path. SCP is a reliable choice for quick, secure file transfers in hosting environments.
While SCP is simple and effective for basic file copying, it has largely been superseded by SFTP for interactive file management because SFTP supports additional operations like directory listing, file deletion, and resumable transfers. However, SCP remains popular in scripts and automated workflows where a single command to copy files securely is all that is needed.