Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

`sftp(1)` on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs

On Solnix, sftp is the OpenSSH sftp client from pkgs.solnix.openssh, which is the implementation on PATH. In the text the bundle shows, its synopsis, options and defaults match the Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD pages, so there is little to relearn.

The manual pages

Solnix: sftp(1) from pkgs.solnix.openssh
Linux: sftp(1) openssh-10.5p1
FreeBSD: sftp(1) 15.1-RELEASE
OpenBSD: sftp(1) 8.0
NetBSD: sftp(1) 11.0

What Solnix runs

A default Solnix system runs the OpenSSH sftp, published by pkgs.solnix.openssh and part of the base system packages. No other illumos variants are shipped. The bundle text was trimmed after -X, so the interactive command section and anything after it could not be compared.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
all four	same program and option set	Solnix, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD all document the same OpenSSH sftp synopsis: `-46AaCfNpqrv` plus `-B`, `-b`, `-c`, `-D`, `-F`, `-i`, `-J`, `-l`, `-o`, `-P`, `-R`, `-S`, `-s` and `-X`. The visible options text is identical in meaning. Flags and defaults do not differ in the part of the pages the bundle shows. Source: SYNOPSIS and OPTIONS of Solnix, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD sftp(1)
all four	defaults	The documented defaults are the same on all five systems: 32768-byte transfer buffer (`-B`), 64 outstanding requests (`-R`), and no ssh-agent forwarding (`-A`). Source: sftp(1) -B, -R, -A on Solnix and all four counterparts
all four	batch mode behaviour	With `-b`, sftp aborts if get, put, reget, reput, rename, ln, rm, mkdir, chdir, ls, lchdir, copy, cp, chmod, chown, chgrp, lpwd, df, symlink or lmkdir fails. A leading - on a command suppresses this and a leading @ suppresses echo. This is identical on all five systems. Source: sftp(1) -b on Solnix and all four counterparts
all four	`-o` ssh_option list	The `-o` option lists the same ssh_config(5) keywords on every system in the visible text, including ChannelTimeout, KnownHostsCommand (Solnix only visible in the list shown), and RequiredRSASize. The bundle trims the Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD lists early, so the later keywords were not compared. Source: sftp(1) -o on Solnix; Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD lists truncated after IdentitiesOnly
all four	trimmed sections	The bundle for all five pages stops inside the `-X` option. The manual text for `-X`, the interactive commands, FILES, ENVIRONMENT, STANDARDS and any BSD-specific notes was not available, so differences there cannot be stated. Source: sftp(1) text ends at -X on Solnix, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD

Standards

POSIX: sftp is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.

Writing portable scripts

The documented sftp options in the bundle are the same on all five systems, so -b batchfile, -P port, -o and -J scripts should port as they are. Use -P (capital) for the port, as sftp -oPort=N is also documented.
Use -b with non-interactive authentication in scripts, as the page advises. Add -N if you need progress output, since -b implies quiet mode.

Every difference here is taken from the manual pages linked above: Solnix's published page, Linux (man-pages and the GNU and util-linux manuals), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD. Each row names its source. Where a manual is silent, this page is too. Compiled 2026-10-26. Found a mistake? Mail hackers@lists.solnix.io.