Does scp create the target folder if it does not exist

Question

I am wondering if scp will create the target folder if it does not exist on the remote server. For example, would this work?

scp -r /data/install/somefolder user@ftpserver.com:/data/install/somefolder

Here the folder /data/install/somefolder doesn't exist on ftp server, so would this command create it?

N.B. I have read about rsync but am not really sure how it works or how to use it yet.

You can use `rsync` instead: `rsync -r somefolder user@ftpserver.com:/path-to/a-new-folder` — Benyamin Jafari, Nov 07 '21 at 07:04

Thamme Gowda · Answer 1 · 2023-04-04T21:00:30.307

53

To achieve the task with ssh and scp (instead of rsync): lets break the task into 2 steps:

1. Create directory if missing:

ssh user@ftpserver.com "mkdir -p /data/install/somefolder"

2. Copy to it:

scp -r /data/install/somefolder user@ftpserver.com:/data/install/somefolder

Put them together

server="user@ftpserver.com"
destiny="/data/install/somefolder"
src="/data/install/somefolder"
ssh "$server" "mkdir -p $destiny" && scp -r "$src" "$server:$destiny"

edited Apr 04 '23 at 21:00

answered Aug 06 '14 at 10:12

Thamme Gowda

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this will fail for sub directories. – user2867106 Apr 12 '19 at 15:26
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@user2867106 `mkdir -p` the -p option creates the parent directory if missing. `scp -r` does the recursive copy. I dont see why it would fail. Could you explain a bit more? – Thamme Gowda Apr 12 '19 at 16:30
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@ThammeGowda thanks for the recipe! works like a charm! – Victor Jul 23 '19 at 17:03
This won't work if the server does provide shell access. Some servers only allow SFTP for file access. – Wouter Jan 16 '20 at 09:21

score 25 · Answer 2 · edited Feb 07 '20 at 13:55

25

Short answer: no.

...but rsync does, which is why I have aliased scp to rsync -Pravdtze ssh on my box. Yes, that's a lot of switches, which in combination produces my preferred rsync behavior. As rsync does provide a very extensive set of switches and options, I suggest you do some research on it to see what fits your needs best. Man-page is a good place to start, but there are a lot of info easily available. Here's a decent list of examples.

Edit: Actually, in that particular case you posted, the folder will be created, as that's the folder you're copying. However, if you're trying to copy it to user@remotehost:somenonexistentfolder/somefolder, then it will fail.

edited Feb 07 '20 at 13:55

Lii

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answered Oct 16 '12 at 18:23

Jarmund

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@badp Edited answer with a new link. – Jarmund Apr 17 '14 at 21:22
@Jarmund just in time ;) – germs12 May 20 '15 at 16:23

Does scp create the target folder if it does not exist

2 Answers2

1. Create directory if missing:

2. Copy to it:

Put them together

Linked

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