Bytes, Pipelines & Queries #2 – How to Transfer Files Between Your Local Machine and a Remote VM with SFTP

January 31, 2025 • 2 min read

Welcome back to the “Bytes, Pipelines & Queries” series. In this post, I’ll show you how to securely transfer files between your local machine and a remote VM using SFTP.

When working with remote virtual machines (VMs), you often need to transfer files between your local system and the remote server. Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is a secure and reliable way to handle these transfers over SSH.

In this guide, I’ll walk through how to use SFTP to move files between your local machine(with WSL) and a remote VM.

Prerequisites

  • ✅ A remote VM with SSH access
  • ✅ Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) installed and configured. Read here
  • ✅ An SSH client (included by default in WSL)
  • ✅ The private key for your VM. Check out this guide for more info on generating one.

Step 1: Understanding SFTP

SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) is an extension of SSH that allows for secure file transfers. Unlike FTP, SFTP encrypts both commands and data, making it a safer choice for transferring files to cloud instances.

With SFTP, you can:

  • Upload and download files
  • Navigate directories on the remote VM
  • Change file permissions
  • Resume interrupted transfers

Step 2: Establish an SFTP Connection

First, connect to your VM using SFTP. If you have an SSH config file set up (as explained in this guide, simply run:

sftp [Your VM's Alias or whatever  you named it in the config file]

Once connected, you'll see an sftp> prompt, indicating that you're inside the SFTP shell.

Step 3: Basic SFTP Commands

Here are some essential commands to navigate and transfer files:

Listing files in the remote VM

ls

cd /path/to/remote/directory

Uploading a file from your local machine to the VM

put localfile.txt /remote/path/

Downloading a file from the VM to your local machine

get /remote/path/file.txt localfile.txt

Uploading an entire directory

put -r my_local_folder /remote/path/

Downloading an entire directory

get -r /remote/path/my_folder ./

Step 4: Troubleshooting Common Issues

🚧 Permission Denied Errors

  • Verify that the target directory has the correct write permissions.

🚧 Connection Timeout

  • Check if your VM’s firewall allows SFTP (port 22 should be open).
  • Run ping [Your VM's Public IP] to confirm the server is reachable.

🚧 File Not Found Errors

  • Use pwd inside SFTP to check your current remote directory.
  • Use lcd in SFTP to change your local directory.

Wrapping Up

SFTP is a simple yet powerful tool for securely transferring files between your local machine and a remote VM. Whether you're uploading application files or fetching logs, mastering SFTP will make your workflow more efficient.