MTC Sync Script

A bash automation tool for synchronizing project files from a remote server to your local machine with automatic VS Code SFTP configuration.

Overview

MTC Sync Script streamlines the process of downloading and setting up projects from remote servers. It automates:

• Creating compressed archives on the remote server
• Downloading files via SCP
• Extracting and organizing files locally
• Configuring VS Code for SFTP development

Perfect for developers working with remote projects who want a fast, one-command setup experience.

Features

• ✅ Interactive Setup - Simple prompts for server and local paths
• ✅ Automated Sync - Compress, download, and extract in one command
• ✅ VS Code Integration - Auto-generates SFTP configuration
• ✅ Error Checking - Validates each step with helpful error messages
• ✅ Cleanup - Removes temporary files automatically
• ✅ Colored Output - Clear status messages with color coding

Requirements

System Dependencies

• Bash shell
• SSH/SCP - Secure shell commands (usually pre-installed on macOS/Linux)
• sshpass - Password-based SSH authentication tool
• tar - Archive/compression utility (pre-installed)

Installation of Dependencies

macOS (using Homebrew):

brew install sshpass

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt-get install sshpass openssh-client

CentOS/RHEL:

sudo yum install sshpass openssh-clients

Server Requirements

• SSH access to the remote server
• Project files in a known folder path (e.g., ~/public_leo)

Usage

Basic Usage

1. Make the script executable (if needed):

   chmod +x sync-project.sh
   

2. Run the script:

   ./sync-project.sh
   

3. Answer the prompts:

   • Server address: Enter your server credentials (e.g., user@server.com or leo@192.168.1.100)
   • Server project path: Path where your project is stored on the server (e.g., ~/public_leo)
   • Local folder: Where you want to download the project (e.g., ./my_project)
   • SSH password: Your password when prompted

Example Session

$ ./sync-project.sh

Enter server address (user@host): leo@myserver.com
Enter server project path: ~/public_leo
Enter local folder path: ./my_project
[System will prompt for SSH password]

✓ Archive created successfully
✓ File transfer complete
✓ Extraction complete
✓ VS Code SFTP config created

What the Script Does

1. Connects to Remote Server - Uses SSH to authenticate with password or key
2. Creates Archive - Compresses project files into tar.gz format on server
3. Downloads Archive - Uses SCP to securely copy archive to local machine
4. Extracts Files - Unpacks the archive to your specified local folder
5. Cleans Up - Removes temporary archive files
6. Configures VS Code - Creates .vscode/sftp.json for seamless SFTP workflow

VS Code SFTP Configuration

The script automatically generates a .vscode/sftp.json file with:

• Auto-upload on save - Changes sync to server immediately
• Pre-configured ignore patterns - Excludes common folders:
  • node_modules/
  • vendor/
  • storage/
  • .vscode/
  • .git/
  • And others...

This allows you to continue developing locally and have changes automatically uploaded to the remote server.

Error Handling

The script includes error checking at each step:

• ✓ Validates SSH connection
• ✓ Checks if remote path exists
• ✓ Verifies archive creation
• ✓ Confirms successful download and extraction
• ✓ Exits gracefully with error messages if anything fails

Troubleshooting

"sshpass: command not found"

Install sshpass using the commands above for your OS.

"SSH connection refused"

• Verify server address is correct
• Check that SSH is enabled on the server
• Confirm your username and password

"Remote path not found"

• Verify the server project path is correct
• Ensure the path exists on the server
• Check user permissions

"Local folder already exists"

The script will still sync, but existing files will be overwritten. Back up important files first.

License

This script is provided as-is for development and synchronization purposes.

Contributing

Feel free to improve this script or report issues!