I can never remember how to use SCP off the top of my head without poking at my history or looking it up. So, I'm putting it here for quick reference for myself. I'll probably do the same for other Unix commands whose syntax and flags I cannot get my thick skull to commit to memory.
SCP Syntax:
scp <username>@<hostname>:<source_filename> <destination_filename>
Example of Remote to Local:
scp user@remote-computer:/here/remote-file /this/path/remote-file
Example of Local to Remote:
scp /this/place/local-file user@remote-computer:/this/path/remote-file
Example of Local to Remote with an option(flag):
scp -P 435 /this/place/local-file user@remote-computer:/this/path/remote-file
After running the scp command, you'll be prompted for your password.
scp flags:
-c cipher
Selects the cipher to use for encrypting the data transfer. This option is directly passed to ssh(1).
-i identity_file
Selects the file from which the identity (private key) for RSA authentication is read. This option is directly passed to ssh(1).
-l limit
Limits the used bandwidth, specified in Kbit/s.
-p
Preserves modification times, access times, and modes from the original file.
-r
Recursively copy entire directories.
-v
Verbose mode. Causes scp and ssh(1) to print debugging messages about their progress. This is helpful in debugging connection, authentication, and configuration problems.
-B
Selects batch mode (prevents asking for passwords or passphrases).
-q
Disables the progress meter.
-C
Compression enable. Passes the -C flag to ssh(1) to enable compression.
-F ssh_config
Specifies an alternative per-user configuration file for ssh This option is directly passed to ssh(1).
-P port
Specifies the port to connect to on the remote host. Note that this option is written with a capital `P' because -p is already reserved for preserving the times and modes of the file in rcp(1).
-S program
Name of program to use for the encrypted connection. The program must understand ssh(1) options.
-o ssh_option
Can be used to pass options to ssh in the format used in ssh_config5. This is useful for specifying options for which there is no separate scp command-line flag.
-1
Forces scp to use protocol 1.
-2
Forces scp to use protocol 2.
-4
Forces scp to use IPv4 addresses only.
-6
Forces scp to use IPv6 addresses only.