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AWS Community Builders profile image Yeshwanth L M
Yeshwanth L M for AWS Community Builders

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4 Ways to Transfer Files/Code From Your Local Computer to a Remote Cloud Server

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File and Code Transfer: Local Machine → Cloud Server

This guide explains four popular methods to transfer files or code from your local computer to a remote cloud server, such as AWS EC2 running Ubuntu.

1. SCP (Secure Copy Protocol)
Quickly copy files or folders from your local machine to a remote server over SSH.

Copy a single file:

scp -i /path/to/private/key.pem /local/file/path user@SERVER_PUBLIC_IP:/PATH/INSIDE/SERVER
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Copy an entire folder:

scp -i /path/to/private/key.pem /local/FOLDER/path user@SERVER_PUBLIC_IP:/PATH/INSIDE/SERVER
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2. S3 Method (with IAM Role on EC2)
Upload files to an S3 bucket from your local machine. Then, grant your EC2 instance permission to access S3, and transfer files directly on the instance.

Sample IAM Policy for EC2 IAM Role:

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": "s3:*",
      "Resource": [
        "arn:aws:s3:::file-transfer-demo-server-bucket",
        "arn:aws:s3:::file-transfer-demo-server-bucket/*"
      ]
    }
  ]
}
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Upload from local to S3:

aws s3 cp /path/to/file s3://file-transfer-demo-server-bucket/
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Download from S3 to EC2:

aws s3 cp s3://file-transfer-demo-server-bucket/IMG_8366.jpg /home/ubuntu/
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The EC2 instance must have the proper IAM role attached with this policy.

3. WinSCP or Other SFTP GUI Tools
For Windows or those who prefer GUIs, use WinSCP (or FileZilla, Cyberduck) for drag-and-drop file transfer:

  • Connect using SFTP, your server’s IP, username (e.g., ubuntu), and your .pem SSH private key.
  • Drag files or folders from local to remote panel.
  • Make sure SFTP/SSH (port 22) is open.

4. GitHub: Clone Code from Repository
For code and structured projects, push your content to a GitHub (or GitLab) repository, then on the cloud server:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/your-repo.git
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Note:

  • Requires git installed on the cloud server.
  • Best for transferring source code, not large binary files.
  • For all SSH-based methods (SCP, SFTP, WinSCP), ensure the correct username and private key.
  • Always protect your credentials and configure least-privilege access for IAM roles and bucket policies.
  • For large files or many files, S3 or SCP may be more efficient than GitHub.

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