How to exclude file when using scp command recursively
======
I need to copy all the *.c files from local laptop named hostA to hostB including all directories. I am using the following scp command but do not know how to exclude specific files (such as *.out):
How do I tell scp command to exclude particular file or directory at the Linux/Unix command line?
One can use scp command to securely copy files between hosts on a network. It uses ssh for data transfer and authentication purpose. Typical syntax is:
```
scp file1 user@host:/path/to/dest/
scp -r /path/to/source/ user@host:/path/to/dest/
```
## Scp exclude files
I don't think so you can filter or exclude files when using scp command. However, there is a great workaround to exclude files and copy it securely using ssh. This page explains how to filter or excludes files when using scp to copy a directory recursively.
## How to use rsync command to exclude files
The syntax is:
`rsync av -e ssh --exclude='*.out' /path/to/source/ [[email protected]][1]:/path/to/dest/`
Where,
1.**-a** : Recurse into directories i.e. copy all files and subdirectories. Also, turn on archive mode and all other options (-rlptgoD)
2.**-v** : Verbose output
3.**-e ssh** : Use ssh for remote shell so everything gets encrypted
4.**\--exclude='*.out'** : exclude files matching PATTERN e.g. *.out or *.c and so on.
### Example of rsync command
In this example copy all file recursively from ~/virt/ directory but exclude all *.new files:
[![Scp exclude files but using rsync exclude command][2]][2]
Rsync command will fail if rsync not found on the remote server. In that case try the following scp command that uses [bash shell pattern matching][3] in the current directory (it won't work with the -r option):
