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Rsync

Using the rsync command in Bash, you can synchronize the contents of a directory between two locations, either locally or across different machines over a network. Here's the basic syntax and some examples:

Synta

rsync [options] source_directory destination

Examples

  1. Local Sync:

    To synchronize a directory named "source" to a directory named "destination" locally:

    rsync -av source/ destination/
    • -a: Archive mode, preserving file permissions, ownership, timestamps, etc.
    • -v: Verbose mode, showing details of the synchronization process.

  2. Remote Sync:

    To synchronize a local directory to a remote machine over SSH:

    rsync -av source/ user@remote_host:destination/
    • Replace user with the remote machine's username.
    • Replace remote_host with the IP address or hostname of the remote machine.
    • Ensure you have SSH access to the remote machine and the necessary permissions.

  3. Excluding Files:

    You can exclude specific files or patterns using the --exclude option. For example, excluding all .txt files:

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

  4. Progress Information:

    To see progress information during synchronization, you can use the --progress option:

    rsync -av --progress source/ destination/

  5. Dry Run (Preview):

    To see what changes would be made without actually executing the synchronization, use the --dry-run option:

    rsync -av --dry-run source/ destination/

  6. Deleting Extraneous Files:

    By default, rsync does not delete files in the destination that are not in the source. To delete extraneous files in the destination, use the --delete option:

    rsync -av --delete source/ destination/

These examples cover some of the common use cases for rsync. The command offers many more options and functionalities for more complex synchronization scenarios. Always refer to the rsync documentation (man rsync) for a complete list of options and their explanations.


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