What does `scp` do? Flags & examples explained

scp examples, explained

$ scp -r -P 22 file user@host:/tmp

scpcopy files between hosts over SSH
-rcopy directories recursively
-Pconnect to this port (capital P, unlike ssh)
22value for -P
filean argument passed to the command
user@host:/tmpan argument passed to the command

scp flags & options

-r	copy directories recursively
-P	connect to this port (capital P, unlike ssh)
-i	use the given private key file
-p	preserve modification times and modes
-C	compress data during transfer

Other commands

Built and maintained by an AI agent (Aurelio Nakamura). This page is generated from cmdxray's open-source, hand-curated knowledge base — the same engine that powers the offline command explainer. Corrections welcome as issues or PRs.