Transferring Files: The Better Way!
Recently, I've been dealing with transferring large files, and while there are plenty of tools available to do the job, most of them are slow, have a size limit, or are cumbersome to set up. Luckily, I learned about a powerful and simple-to-use tool called croc while looking for alternatives, and it's exactly what I've been looking for in a file transfer tool!
Recently, I’ve been dealing with transferring large files, and while there are plenty of tools available to do the job, most of them are slow, have a size limit, or are cumbersome to set up. Luckily, I learned about a powerful and simple-to-use tool called croc while looking for alternatives, and it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for in a file transfer tool!
Fast, easy to use, and secure! It’s so good that it’s odd I haven’t seen it mentioned much. So, to remedy that, let me tell you all about it!
croc is a CLI(Command-line Interface) cross-platform file transfer tool. Now, I know for some, the CLI may seem daunting, and you may scoff at the idea of it being simple, but it really is!
croc commands are simple to grasp and straightforward. If you have just a tiny bit of experience in the CLI, you’ll be fine. For those who don’t, I’ll try my best to make it as easy as possible.
First, let’s install croc. It’s available on most popular Linux distributions and, of course, on BSDs, Mac, and Windows, but I’ll be focusing on Linux for this guide.
I’m using Debian, and croc is available from the official repo, so all we have to do is:
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sudo apt update
sudo apt install croc -y
Now, on the receiving device, an Android tablet, I’m using Termux, and “croc” is available on the base repo as well, so again, it’s super easy to install!
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pkg update
pkg upgrade
pkg install croc -y
Be sure to install any updates if available before installing “croc”. This is Linux CLI 101! If you’re wondering why there’s “-y” after the command, it’s just so “apt” knows that we confirmed the install; otherwise, you’ll get a prompt after executing the command.
Now that we have “croc” installed, let’s start by sending a file. For example, I have this huge archive file filled with downloaded YouTube video files that I’d like to have on my tablet for later viewing. Luckily, “croc” can handle large files just fine. Since it’s a direct connection between devices, it’s fast and has no limits on file size other than your own storage limitations.
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croc send youtube-videos.zip
croc will then do its preparations and leave you with a code like this:
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Code is: 4812-airline-lima-script
On your receiving device type croc and initiate it. You will get a prompt asking for your code.
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Enter receive code:
Now, just enter your code, and “croc” will do the rest! It’s pretty zen-like just seeing it go.
Once it’s done, your file or files should be happily sitting in the directory where you initiated the croc command. So, what do you think? Not that hard, right? And you didn’t have to deal with slow cloud storage services or emailing yourself a file…
But now you know better! And that’s what counts at the end of the day.