Rsync is a powerful file synchronization tool used to transfer files and directories between local and remote servers. It supports incremental transfers, compression, encryption, and file attribute preservation, making it ideal for backups and data migrations.
✅ 1. Basic Syntax
rsync [options] source destination
Source: A local or remote path.
Destination: Also a local or remote path.
Remote Path Format:
user@host:/path/to/directory
✅ 2. Common Options
| Option | Description (English) |
|---|---|
| -a | Archive mode (preserve permissions, timestamps). |
| -v | Verbose mode for detailed output. |
| -z | Enable compression during transfer. |
| -e ssh | Use SSH for secure transfers. |
| --progress | Show progress during transfer. |
| --delete | Remove extra files at the destination. |
| -P | Enable progress display and resume interrupted transfers. |
| -r | Recursively copy directories. |
| --bwlimit=KB | Limit bandwidth (in KB/s). |
| --exclude='pattern' | Exclude specific files or directories. |
✅ 3. Use Cases
📍 Local Sync
rsync -av /source/path/ /destination/path/
Synchronize contents between two local directories.
📍 Local to Remote
rsync -avz /local/path/ user@remote:/remote/path/
Transfer local files to a remote server.
📍 Remote to Local
rsync -avz user@remote:/remote/path/ /local/path/
Download files from a remote server to the local machine.
📍 Remote to Remote
rsync -avz -e ssh user_A@host_A:/path/to/source/ user_B@host_B:/path/to/destination/
Transfer files between two remote servers using your local machine.
📍 Specify SSH Port
rsync -avz -e "ssh -p 2222" /local/path/ user@remote:/remote/path/
Connect using a custom SSH port.
📍 Resume Interrupted Transfers
rsync -avzP user@remote:/remote/path/ /local/path/
Resume interrupted transfers with progress display.
📍 Exclude Files
rsync -avz --exclude='*.log' --exclude='cache/' /local/path/ user@remote:/remote/path/
Exclude .log files and cache directory.
📍 Delete Extra Files on Destination
rsync -avz --delete /local/path/ user@remote:/remote/path/
Delete files on the destination that are no longer in the source.
📍 Limit Bandwidth
rsync -avz --bwlimit=1000 /local/path/ user@remote:/remote/path/
Limit transfer speed to 1000KB/s.