Skip to main content

SCP Batch Backup

scp is a simple way to copy backup artifacts to another server. It is fine for one-off transfers or small setups, but it does not handle incremental synchronization as efficiently as rsync.

Quick Summary
  • Use scp to copy finished backup files (archives, dumps, logs).
  • Verify transfers with checksums.
  • Prefer rsync for repeatable backups.

Copy a batch of artifacts​

scp-copy-backups.sh
scp /backups/wp-files-*.tar.* /backups/wp-db-*.sql.* backup@backup-host:/srv/wp-backups/site-a/

If you use a dedicated key:

scp-with-ssh-key.sh
scp -i ~/.ssh/wp-backup /backups/*.zst backup@backup-host:/srv/wp-backups/site-a/

Copy a directory recursively​

scp-recursive-copy.sh
scp -r -i ~/.ssh/wp-backup /backups/snapshots backup@backup-host:/srv/wp-backups/site-a/

Generate checksums locally, copy the checksum file, then verify on the remote.

scp-verify-with-sha256.sh
cd /backups
sha256sum wp-files-* wp-db-* > /tmp/backups.sha256

scp -i ~/.ssh/wp-backup /tmp/backups.sha256 backup@backup-host:/tmp/backups.sha256
ssh -i ~/.ssh/wp-backup backup@backup-host 'cd /srv/wp-backups/site-a && sha256sum -c /tmp/backups.sha256'

Common pitfalls​

  • Copying backups into a web-accessible directory.
  • Using scp -C (SSH compression) on already-compressed files (often no benefit).
  • Forgetting verification.

When to switch to rsync​

Use rsync if:

  • You run backups daily/weekly.
  • You need resumable incremental transfers.
  • You want to avoid re-copying unchanged files.

See:

  • opt/docker-data/apps/docusaurus/site/docs/server/linux-server/10-backup-disaster-recovery/ssh-backup-with-rsync.mdx