SCP Linux to Mac - Shell/Bash

As a programmer, you may often need to transfer files between different systems. One of the most common ways to do this is using the Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) in Shell/Bash. In this guide, we will explore how to use SCP to transfer files from Linux to Mac.

Prerequisites

Before you can use SCP to transfer files between your Linux and Mac systems, you must ensure that both systems have the SCP command-line utility installed. In most Linux distributions, SCP should be included by default. For Mac, you can install it using Homebrew or MacPorts.

Transfering files using SCP

To transfer files using SCP, you need to use the following command:

scp [options] [source] [destination]

• [options]: Specify any optional arguments (such as verbose or recursive)
• [source]: Specify the file or directory you want to transfer
• [destination]: Specify the target location (including the hostname and destination directory)

To transfer a file from Linux to Mac, use the following command:

scp ~/myFile.txt username@192.168.1.2:/tmp/

Here, you need to change the path to your file and the IP address to the IP address of your Mac. Additionally, you need to replace "username" with your Mac's username, and "/tmp/" with the destination directory.

To transfer a directory, use the "-r" option to enable recursive transfer:

scp -r ~/myDirectory username@192.168.1.2:/tmp/

Additional SCP options

SCP has several additional options that you can use to customize the transfer process. Here are some of the most commonly used options:

• -v: Enable verbose mode to display transfer progress and debug information.
• -C: Compress file data during transfer.
• -p: Preserve file metadata (such as timestamps and permissions) during transfer.
• -P: Specify a custom port number for the SSH connection (SCP uses SSH for secure file transfer).

Conclusion

SCP is a simple yet powerful tool that allows you to transfer files securely between different systems. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you should now be able to transfer files from Linux to Mac using SCP. Feel free to experiment with different options to streamline your file transfer workflow!