How to use SSHFS

Introduction
In computing, SSHFS (SSH Filesystem) is a filesystem client to mount and interact with directories and files located on a remote server or workstation over a normal ssh connection.^[1] The client interacts with the remote file system via the SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP),^[2] a network protocol providing file access, file transfer, and file management functionality over any reliable data stream that was designed as an extension of the Secure Shell protocol (SSH) version 2.0.

In many cases it can become cumbersome to transfer files to and from proprietary and customized operating system. This can become quite a hassle in a very short period of time. Luckily there is a way to mount remote file system to local computer without NFS, SAMBA or other remote filler protocols. In this article, I will show you how to do exactly that.

Installing SSHFS

On Ubuntu/Debian
SSHFS is Linux based software that needs to be installed on your local computer. On Ubuntu and Debian based systems it can be installed through apt-get.

sudo apt-get install sshfs

On Mac OSX
You can install SHFS on Mac OSX. You will need to download FUSE and SSHFS from the osxfuse site.

On Windows
To install SSHFS in Windows you will need to grab the latest win-sshfs package from the google code repository. A direct download link can be found below. After you have downloaded the package, double click to launch the installer. You may be prompted to download additional files, if so the installer will download the .NET Framework 4.0 and install it for you.

https://win-sshfs.googlecode.com/files/win-sshfs-0.0.1.5-setup.exe

Mounting the Remote File System
The following instructions will work for both Ubuntu/Debian and OSX. Instructions for Windows systems can be found at the bottom of the tutorial.

sshfs userame@remote_server_ip:/mount_point /remote_mount_point

Now you can work with files on your /mount_point as if it were a physical device attached to your local machine.

It is important to note that this process provides only a temporary mount point.