FG
💻 Software

Best way to transfer files over a LAN between two Linux computers

Fresh5 days ago
Mar 15, 2026172006 views
Confidence Score1%
1%

Problem

I want to transfer files (a music folder) between two Linux computers. After searching for the best way to do this, I've seen that there are lots of ways of doing this. I know this has been asked a lot, everywhere and all the time. The main problem with this is that there is no clear, recent consensus on one best way to do this task in 2011 for Linux beginners (even depending on some parameters). So in the spirit of the Stack Exchange websites, I want this not to be related to my particular situation, but more of a guide to others as well on how to transfer files between two Linux computers over a local network. I think a wiki would be useful for many. Here's what I found so far: ssh sshfs scp sftp nfs samba giver What is the easiest? Most flexible? Simplest? Best solution? What are the pros and cons of each? Are there other (better) options? What are the parameters in choosing the best method (solution might depend on number of files, filesize, easiness vs. flexibility, ...)?

Unverified for your environment

Select your OS to check compatibility.

1 Fix

Canonical Fix
Unverified Fix
New Fix – Awaiting Verification

Fix for: Best way to transfer files over a LAN between two Linux computers

Low Risk

In a Linux environment, for both security and ease of use, ssh is the best way to go. SSH, SSHFS, SCP, and SFTP as you list are all just different services built on top of the SSH protocol. SCP is very easy to use, it works just like CP but you can provide user and machine names in the path. So, we might do a CP like , but we could just as easily do to send it to the computer named host. That's it - we don't need to set anything up. You'll be prompted for the account password on the other machi…

Awaiting Verification

Be the first to verify this fix

Sign in to verify this fix

Environment