The Editor and the Tramp


# The Editor and the Tramp

You have most likely logged into the tilde.team server with something
like:

    yourusername@tilde.team

You may be editing files, posting to a blog with bb or something like
that, but you don't need to log in just to edit files. Emacs has a
builtin feature called *tramp* that allows you to create and edit
files on a remote server using *(rlogin, telnet, or ssh)*

> TRAMP (Transparent Remote Access, Multiple Protocols) is a package
  for editing remote files, similar to AngeFtp or efs. Whereas the
  others use FTP to connect to the remote host and to transfer the
  files, TRAMP uses a remote shell connection (rlogin, telnet,
  ssh). It can transfer the files using rcp or a similar program, or
  it can encode the file contents (using uuencode or base64) and
  transfer them right through the shell connection.

[EmacsWiki: Tramp Mode](https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/TrampMode)


## The how

How is pretty simple. Normally in emacs, to open or create a file you
would press **C-x C-f** then enter the path and file name when
prompted. Say I have a file on my local system called:

    ~/public_html/test.html

I would enter that path and press enter when prompted. But to edit the
same file on a remote system, you would type:

    ssh:yourusername@tilde.team

then press enter. You'll be prompted for a password and then presented
with a list of files on the remote system to which you have access.

Emacs now treats this new, remote file system just like your local
file system. You can basically forget that you are logged into this
remote system and just do the work you set out to do.

Using emacs in the terminal on tilde.team is great, but if you like
emacs and want to use it on your own system with your own
personalizations, and cut down on the steps required to do the stuff
you want, this is a great way to have your cake and emacs it too.

tags: emacs tramp linux