# rsync ## Table of contents 1. [TL;DR](#tldr) 1. [Explored options](#explored-options) 1. [Filters](#filters) 1. [Filter file](#filter-file) 1. [Sources](#sources) ## TL;DR ```sh # Synchronize 2 files. rsync 'source/file' 'destination/file' rsync 'source/file' 'username@host:/destination/file' # Synchronize the content of 2 or more directories. rsync -r 'source/dir/' 'destination/dir/' rsync -r 'source/dir/1/' 'source/dir/n/' 'destination/dir/' # Synchronize directories **and** their contents to a destination. rsync -r 'source/dir/1' 'source/dir/n' 'destination/dir' # Delete files at the destination that to not exist at the source. rsync … --delete # Just show what would change at the destination. rsync -vv … --dry-run # Copy targets in archive mode if they don't already exist. rsync -av --ignore-existing 'source/file' 'destination/file' rsync -av --ignore-existing 'source/dir/1' 'source/dir/n/' 'destination/dir/' # Exclude files from the sync. rsync … --exclude "*.DS_Store" --exclude "._*" rsync … --exclude={"*.DS_Store","._*"} rsync … --filter "merge filter.txt" # Delete files from the source after they have been transferred. rsync … --remove-source-files # Copy local files to a folder in the user's remote home over SSH on port 1234. # Compress the data during transfer. rsync 'source/file' 'username@host:destination/file' -ze 'ssh -p 1234' # Copy a remote directory to the local host. # Show total progress and be more verbose. rsync -avv --info='progress2' 'username@host:/source/dir/' 'destination/dir/' # Backup items changing at the destination. rsync … -b --suffix=".backup_$(date +'%F')" rsync … -b --backup-dir="changes_$(date +'%F')" # Resume a sync. rsync … --partial --append rsync … -P --append-verify # Limit the transfer's bandwidth. rsync … --bwlimit='1200' rsync … --bwlimit='5m' # Execute multiple syncs to a single destination. ls -1 'source/dir' \ | xargs -I{} -P $(nproc) -t \ rsync -a --info='progress2' --dry-run \ source/dir/{}/ 'username@host:/destination/dir/' find 'source/dir' -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 -type d \ | xargs -I{} -P $(nproc) -t \ rsync -AXahvz --chown='user' \ --partial --append-verify \ --info='progress2' --no-i-r --no-motd \ {}/ 'username@host:/destination/dir/' # Sync a directory from/to a Synology NAS. rsync -AHPXazv --append-verify --no-motd 'source/dir/' 'synology.lan:/shared/folder/' --dry-run rsync -AHPXazv --append-verify --no-motd --rsh ssh --exclude "#*" --exclude "@*" 'user@synology.lan:/shared/folder/' 'destination/dir/' --delete --dry-run rsync -AHPazv --append-verify --no-motd --exclude "#*" --exclude "@*" 'source/dir/' 'user@synology.lan:/shared/folder/' --delete --dry-run rsync -AXaz --append-verify --chown='user' --fake-super --info='progress2' --no-i-r --no-motd --partial -e "ssh -i /home/user/.ssh/id_ed25519 -o UserKnownHostsFile=/home/user/.ssh/known_hosts" 'source/dir/' 'user@synology.lan:/shared/folder/' -n rsync 'data/' 'synology.lan:/volume1/data/' \ -ALSXabhs --no-i-r \ --partial --append-verify \ --info='progress2' \ --delete --backup-dir "changes_$(date +'%F_%H-%M-%S')" --exclude "changes_*" \ --no-motd --fake-super --super \ --numeric-ids --usermap='1000:1026' --groupmap='1000:100' \ --exclude={'@eaDir','#recycle'} # Parallel sync. # Each thread must use a different directory. parallel -q \ rsync "path/to/source/dir/{}" "nas.lan:/path/to/destination/dir/" … \ ::: $( ls -1 path/to/source/dir ) ``` ## Explored options | Long format | Short format | Description | | ----------------------- | ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | `-F` | same as `--filter='dir-merge /.rsync-filter'`
if repeated, same as `--filter='- .rsync-filter'` | | | `-P` | same as `--partial --progress` | | `--acls` | `-A` | preserve ACLs; implies `--perms` | | `--append-verify` | | like `--append`, but use the data already there to check the items | | `--archive` | `-a` | archive mode, equals `-rlptgoD`; does **not** imply `-H`, `-A`, nor `-X` | | `--backup-dir=DIR` | | use the specified directory to backup changing items | | `--backup` | `-b` | backup items changing at the destination; see also `--suffix` and `--backup-dir` | | `--bwlimit=RATE` | | limit the socket's I/O bandwidth to _RATE_; with no suffix, the value will be in KBPS | | `--checksum` | `-c` | skip files basing on checksum instead of modify time and size | | `--chown=USER:GROUP` | | simple username/groupname mapping | | `--compress` | `-z` | compress file data during the transfer | | `--crtimes` | | **only available on Mac OS X** | | `--delete-during` | `--del` | set the **receiver** to delete files during the transfer | | `--delete` | | delete items **at the destination** that **don't** exist in the source | | `--dry-run` | `-n` | perform a trial run with no changes made | | `--exclude=PATTERN` | | exclude files matching _PATTERN_ | | `--executability` | `-E` | preserve executability | | `--fake-super` | | store/recover privileged attrs using xattrs | | `--filter=RULE` | `-f` | add a file-filtering _RULE_ | | `--hard-links` | `-H` | preserve hard links | | `--human-readable` | `-h` | output numbers in a human-readable format | | `--ignore-existing` | | skip updating files that already exist at the destination | | `--info=FLAGS` | | fine-grained informational verbosity; the `progress2` value is available since version 3.1.0 | | `--links` | `-l` | copy symlinks as symlinks | | `--no-inc-recursive` | `--no-i-r` | scan all directories on startup instead of incrementally | | `--no-motd` | | suppress daemon-mode MOTD | | `--no-OPTION` | | turn off an **implied** OPTION (e.g. `--no-D`) | | `--partial` | | keep partially transferred files | | `--progress` | | show progress for each file during transfer | | `--protect-args` | `-s` | no space-splitting; wildcard chars only | | `--prune-empty-dirs` | `-m` | prune empty directory chains from file-list | | `--recursive` | `-r` | recurse into directories | | `--remove-source-files` | | set the **sender** to remove synchronized files; it does **not** remove directories | | `--rsh=COMMAND` | `-e` | specify the remote shell to use (with options, e.g. _ssh -p 1234_) | | `--sparse` | `-S` | turn sequences of nulls into sparse blocks | | `--stats` | | give some file-transfer stats | | `--suffix=SUFFIX` | | suffix for backups; defaults to `~` | | `--update` | `-u` | skip files that are newer on the receiver | | `--verbose` | `-v` | increase verbosity once for each copy of this switch | | `--xattrs` | `-X` | preserve extended attributes | ## Filters ### Filter file Set up a `.rsync-filter` file in any directory. If `rsync` is called with the `-F` option, the filtering rules in that file will be applied from that directory to all its subfolders. ```sh $ cat '.rsync-filter' - .DS_Store - .localized - .obsidian - .terraform* + ** $ rsync … -F ``` The filter file excludes files from the source, but does nothing for the ones on the remote.
If one wants to exclude files from the remote, they must be set explicitly using the `--exclude` option. ## Sources - [cheat.sh] - [Showing total progress in rsync: is it possible?] [cheat.sh]: https://cheat.sh/rsync [showing total progress in rsync: is it possible?]: https://serverfault.com/questions/219013/showing-total-progress-in-rsync-is-it-possible#441724