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rsync

Introduction​

This cheat sheet provides a quick reference for some common rsync commands and concepts. rsync is a versatile command-line utility used for file synchronization and transfer on Unix-like operating systems.

rsync Concepts​

Basic rsync Usage​

rsync can be used for local and remote file synchronization.

  • Copy files from source to destination:

    rsync -av source/ destination/

  • Synchronize two directories (delete extraneous files at the destination):

    rsync -av --delete source/ destination/

  • Transfer files to a remote server (SSH):

    rsync -av -e ssh source/ user@remote:/path/to/destination/

Exclude Files and Directories​

You can exclude specific files or directories during synchronization.

  • Exclude a single file or directory:

    rsync -av --exclude 'file.txt' source/ destination/

  • Exclude multiple files/directories using a file:

    rsync -av --exclude-from 'exclude.txt' source/ destination/

Progress and Verbosity​

rsync provides options to display progress and increase verbosity.

  • Display transfer progress:

    rsync -av --progress source/ destination/

  • Increase verbosity for debugging:

    rsync -avv source/ destination/

Remote rsync Daemon​

rsync can use the rsync daemon for faster transfers.

  • Start the rsync daemon on the server:

    rsync --daemon

  • Use the rsync daemon for transfers:

    rsync -av source/ rsync://server/module/

rsync Command-Line​

  • Copy files from source to destination:

    rsync -av source/ destination/

  • Synchronize two directories (delete extraneous files at the destination):

    rsync -av --delete source/ destination/

  • Transfer files to a remote server (SSH):

    rsync -av -e ssh source/ user@remote:/path/to/destination/

  • Exclude a single file or directory:

    rsync -av --exclude 'file.txt' source/ destination/

  • Display transfer progress:

    rsync -av --progress source/ destination/

  • Start the rsync daemon on the server:

    rsync --daemon

  • Use the rsync daemon for transfers:

    rsync -av source/ rsync://server/module/

Conclusion​

This cheat sheet covers some common rsync commands and concepts. rsync is a powerful tool for file synchronization and transfer, making it essential for system administrators and data backup tasks; refer to the official rsync documentation for more in-depth information and advanced usage.