rsync

Example

1. Syncing files and directories locally

Sync source_directory/ directory to destination_directory/:

rsync -avh source_directory/ destination_directory/

Here, -a, --archive is a shortcut option, equivalent to -rlptgoD. It means to sync files and directories recursively and preserve file metadata (permissions, timestamps, etc.).

• v, --verbose means to output verbose information.
• h, --human-readable means to display file sizes in a human-readable way.

2. Syncing files and directories remotely

Sync local source_directory/ directory to destination_directory/ on a remote host:

rsync -avh source_directory/ user@remote_host:/path/to/destination_directory/

Here, user is the username of the remote host.

3. Secure file transfer via SSH

Sync local source_directory/ directory to destination_directory/ on a remote host via SSH:

rsync -avh -e 'ssh -p port_number' source_directory/ user@remote_host:/path/to/destination_directory/

Here, port_number is the port number of the SSH server.

4. Delete files not present at the destination

Delete files not present at the destination during the sync:

rsync -avh --delete source_directory/ destination_directory/

5. Exclude specific files and directories

Exclude specific files and directories during the sync:

rsync -avh --exclude 'file.txt' --exclude 'directory/' source_directory/ destination_directory/

6. Compress data during transfer

Compress data during transfer to reduce bandwidth usage:

rsync -avh -z source_directory/ destination_directory/

Here, -z, --compress enables compression during transfer.

7. Limit bandwidth usage

Limit bandwidth usage to 100 KB/s during transfer:

rsync -avh --bwlimit=100 source_directory/ destination_directory/

8. Test run

Perform a test run without actual transfer:

rsync -avh --dry-run source_directory/ destination_directory/

9. Display progress during transfer

Display progress during transfer:

rsync -avh --progress source_directory/ destination_directory/