Elastic Compute Service:Select a file transfer method

Scenario 1: Daily file management and small file transfers

The following methods are suitable for daily file management and small file transfers.

The following table compares the available methods. You can select a suitable method based on the operating system of your on-premises computer and your instance's operating system and network configuration. After you choose a method, click the link in the first column for instructions.

^①: To identify the operating system of your instance, see View the operating system of an ECS instance.

^②: An instance does not have a public IP address if you did not assign one during creation. To check whether an instance has a public IP address, see Check whether an instance has a public IP address. To assign a public IP address, see Assign a public IP address.

^③: When you use Workbench to upload files, transfers may be slow during peak hours. If this occurs, consider using another method for faster transfers.

^④: You can also use SCP to transfer files to a Windows instance. However, SSH must be installed and configured on the Windows instance.

Scenario 2: Large file transfers

Use the following methods to transfer large files.

The following table compares the available methods. You can select a suitable method based on the operating system of your on-premises computer and your instance's operating system and network configuration. After you choose a method, click the link in the first column for instructions.

^①: To identify the operating system of your instance, see View the operating system of an ECS instance.

^②: An instance does not have a public IP address if you did not assign one during creation. To check whether an instance has a public IP address, see Check whether an instance has a public IP address. To assign a public IP address, see Assign a public IP address.

^③: You can also use SFTP to transfer files to a Windows instance. However, SSH must be installed and configured on the Windows instance.

Scenario 3: Upload files to multiple ECS instances

To upload a file to multiple ECS instances in batches, use CloudOps Orchestration Service (OOS).

• Network requirements: The instances do not need a public IP address or an Elastic IP Address (EIP).

• File size limit:

  • The file size limit is 500 MB for files transferred directly from an on-premises computer.

  • This limit does not apply when you use Object Storage Service with OOS.

• Related documentation: See Upload a single file to multiple ECS instances in batches.

Scenario 4: Transfers to instances without a public IP

Use the following methods to transfer files to an instance that lacks a public IP address or an EIP.

The following table compares the available methods. You can select a suitable method based on the operating system of your on-premises computer and your instance's operating system and network configuration. After you choose a method, click the link in the first column for instructions.

^①: To identify the operating system of your instance, see View the operating system of an ECS instance.

^②: An instance does not have a public IP address if you did not assign one during creation. To check whether an instance has a public IP address, see Check whether an instance has a public IP address. To assign a public IP address, see Assign a public IP address.

Scenario 5: Transfer files between instances

To transfer files between two instances, use one of the following recommended methods.

The following table compares the available methods. You can select a suitable method based on the operating systems of the source instance and the destination instance. After you choose a method, click the link in the first column for instructions.

^①: To identify the operating system of your instance, see View the operating system of an ECS instance.

^②: You can also use SCP or SFTP to transfer files to a Windows instance. However, SSH must be installed and configured on the Windows instance.

FAQ

• Check for an instance public IP

  You can check if your instance has a public IP address on the instance list page. For more information, see View instance information. To assign a public IP address, see Assign a public IP address.

  In the IP Address column of the instance list, a public IP address is labeled with (Public).

• View the instance operating system

  On the Instances page, you can find the operating system of an instance in the Operating System column. Most non-Windows operating systems are Linux-based.

  If the wrong operating system is installed, see Change the operating system (system disk) to reinstall it.

• Slow file uploads

  File transfers using Workbench may be slow during peak hours. If this occurs, consider using another method. Transfer speed is also limited by the network bandwidth between your on-premises computer and the instance. Network fluctuations can also affect transfer speed.

• Upload interruptions from network instability

  Network instability can interrupt file transfers, especially for long-running transfers. To prevent interruptions, use tools that support resumable uploads, such as SFTP, WinSCP, or the Object Storage Service transfer solution.

• Transferring a large number of files

  To efficiently transfer many files, compress them into a single archive before uploading it to the instance. For more information, see Compress and upload files.