Editing Secure copy protocol (section)

==scp program==
The '''SCP program'''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://github.com/openssh/openssh-portable/blob/master/scp.c | title=Portable OpenSSH | website=[[GitHub]] | date=13 May 2022 }}</ref> is a software tool implementing the SCP protocol as a service daemon or client.  It is a program to perform secure copying.

Perhaps the most widely used SCP program is the OpenSSH [[command line]] <code>scp</code> program, which is provided in most SSH implementations. The <code>scp</code> program is the secure analog of the <code>rcp</code> command.  The <code>scp</code> program must be part of all SSH servers that want to provide SCP service, as <code>scp</code> functions as SCP server too. Since OpenSSH 9.0, the program has been updated to use the newer, more secure [[SSH file transfer protocol|SFTP]] protocol; an <code>-O</code> option is added for using SCP with old SCP-only servers.<ref name=ossh9/>

===Syntax===
Typically, a syntax of <code>scp</code> program<ref>"scp(1) - OpenBSD manual pages" https://man.openbsd.org/scp</ref> is like the syntax of [[Cp (Unix)|<code>cp</code> (copy)]]:

Copying local file to a remote host:
 scp <var>LocalSourceFile</var> <var>user</var>@<var>remotehost</var>:<var>directory</var>/<var>TargetFile</var>

Copying file from remote host and recursively copying folder (with <code>-r</code> switch) from remote host:
 scp <var>user</var>@<var>remotehost</var>:<var>directory</var>/<var>SourceFile</var> <var>LocalTargetFile</var>
 scp -r <var>user</var>@<var>host</var>:<var>directory</var>/<var>SourceFolder</var> <var>LocalTargetFolder</var>

Note that if the remote host uses a port other than the default of 22, it can be specified in the command. For example, copying a file from host:
 scp -P 2222 <var>user</var>@<var>host</var>:<var>directory</var>/<var>SourceFile</var> <var>TargetFile</var>

===Other clients===
As the '''Secure Copy Protocol''' implements file transfers only, [[GUI]] SCP clients are rare, as implementing it requires additional functionality ([[directory (file systems)|directory]] listing at least). For example, [[WinSCP]] defaults to the SFTP protocol.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Supported File Transfer Protocols :: WinSCP|url=https://winscp.net/eng/docs/protocols|website=winscp.net|language=en|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref> Even when operating in SCP mode, clients like WinSCP are typically not pure SCP clients, as they must use other means to implement the additional functionality (like the [[Ls|<code>ls</code> command]]).<ref>{{Cite web|title=The SCP/Shell Page (Advanced Site Settings dialog) :: WinSCP|url=https://winscp.net/eng/docs/ui_login_scp|website=winscp.net|language=en|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref> This in turn brings platform-dependency problems.

More comprehensive tools for managing files over SSH are [[SSH File Transfer Protocol|SFTP]] clients.