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🌶 Rsync

Authorized use only. Offensive reference for systems you own or are explicitly permitted to test. You are responsible for staying within the law.

rsync [options] source destination

rsync file.txt /backup/                       # Copy file
rsync -r dir/ /backup/dir/                    # Copy directory recursively
rsync -a dir/ /backup/dir/                    # Archive mode (preserves everything)
rsync file.txt user@remote:/path/             # Copy to remote
rsync user@remote:/path/file.txt ./           # Copy from remote

rsync -a dir /backup/                         # Creates /backup/dir/
rsync -a dir/ /backup/                        # Copies contents into /backup/

-a, --archive                       # Archive mode (-rlptgoD)
-r, --recursive                     # Recurse into directories
-v, --verbose                       # Verbose output
-h, --human-readable                # Human-readable numbers
-z, --compress                      # Compress during transfer
-P                                  # --partial --progress
--progress                          # Show progress during transfer
--partial                           # Keep partial transfers
-n, --dry-run                       # Dry run (no changes)
-e ssh                              # Use SSH for remote shell

-r                                  # Recursive
-l                                  # Preserve symlinks
-p                                  # Preserve permissions
-t                                  # Preserve modification times
-g                                  # Preserve group
-o                                  # Preserve owner
-D                                  # Preserve device and special files

--delete                            # Delete files not in source
--delete-before                     # Delete before transfer
--delete-after                      # Delete after transfer
--delete-during                     # Delete during transfer (default)
--delete-excluded                   # Delete excluded files too
--force                             # Force deletion of non-empty dirs

--exclude='pattern'                 # Exclude files matching pattern
--include='pattern'                 # Include files matching pattern
--exclude-from=file                 # Read exclude patterns from file
--include-from=file                 # Read include patterns from file
--filter='rule'                     # Add filter rule

# Patterns
*.txt                               # All .txt files
*.log                               # All .log files
dir/                                # Specific directory
**/cache/                           # cache dir at any level

# Order matters: first match wins
--include='*.txt' --exclude='*'     # Only .txt files

# Basic backup
rsync -avh /source/ /backup/

# Backup with progress
rsync -avhP /source/ /backup/

# Dry run (test first)
rsync -avhn /source/ /backup/

# Mirror (delete extra files)
rsync -avh --delete /source/ /backup/

# Remote backup over SSH
rsync -avhz -e ssh /source/ user@host:/backup/

# Remote with custom SSH port
rsync -avhz -e 'ssh -p 2222' /source/ user@host:/backup/

# Exclude patterns
rsync -avh --exclude='*.log' --exclude='cache/' /source/ /backup/

# Include only specific files
rsync -avh --include='*.php' --include='*/' --exclude='*' /source/ /backup/

# Backup with compression
rsync -avhz /source/ /backup/

# Resume interrupted transfer
rsync -avhP --partial /source/ /backup/

# Limit bandwidth (KB/s)
rsync -avh --bwlimit=1000 /source/ /backup/

# Preserve hard links
rsync -avhH /source/ /backup/

-H, --hard-links                    # Preserve hard links
-A, --acls                          # Preserve ACLs
-X, --xattrs                        # Preserve extended attributes
-S, --sparse                        # Handle sparse files efficiently
-x, --one-file-system               # Don't cross filesystem boundaries
-u, --update                        # Skip files newer on destination
-c, --checksum                      # Checksum instead of time/size
--inplace                           # Update destination files in-place
--append                            # Append data onto shorter files
--append-verify                     # Append with checksum verification
--size-only                         # Compare by size only
--ignore-existing                   # Skip existing files on destination
--remove-source-files               # Delete source files after transfer
--max-size=SIZE                     # Don't transfer files larger than SIZE
--min-size=SIZE                     # Don't transfer files smaller than SIZE
--modify-window=NUM                 # Compare mod times with tolerance

--backup                            # Make backups of changed files
--backup-dir=DIR                    # Store backups in DIR
--suffix=SUFFIX                     # Backup suffix (default ~)

# Example: incremental backup
rsync -avh --backup --backup-dir=incremental/$(date +%Y%m%d) /source/ /backup/

--log-file=FILE                     # Log to file
--log-file-format=FORMAT            # Log format
-i, --itemize-changes               # Output change summary
--stats                             # Print statistics

# SSH (default)
rsync -avhz user@host:/remote/path/ /local/path/
rsync -avhz /local/path/ user@host:/remote/path/

# rsync daemon
rsync -avhz rsync://host/module/path/ /local/path/
rsync -avhz /local/path/ rsync://host/module/path/

# With password file
rsync -avhz --password-file=/path/to/pass user@host::module/

# Custom SSH port
rsync -avhz -e 'ssh -p 2222' source/ user@host:/dest/

# Custom SSH key
rsync -avhz -e 'ssh -i ~/.ssh/mykey' source/ user@host:/dest/

# SSH compression (redundant with -z)
rsync -avh -e 'ssh -C' source/ user@host:/dest/

# Multiple SSH options
rsync -avhz -e 'ssh -p 2222 -i ~/.ssh/mykey -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no' source/ user@host:/dest/

# Daily backup
0 2 * * * rsync -avh --delete /home/ /backup/home/ >> /var/log/backup.log 2>&1

# Weekly full backup
0 3 * * 0 rsync -avhH --delete /data/ /backup/weekly/

# Incremental with date
0 4 * * * rsync -avh --backup --backup-dir=/backup/inc/$(date +\%Y\%m\%d) /data/ /backup/current/

# Mirror (exact copy, delete extra)
rsync -avh --delete source/ dest/

# Update only (don't delete)
rsync -avh source/ dest/

# One-way sync (source to dest only)
rsync -avh --update source/ dest/

# Two directories in sync
rsync -avh --delete dir1/ dir2/
rsync -avh --delete dir2/ dir1/

# Copy only newer files
rsync -avhu source/ dest/

YXcstpoguax
|||||||||||
||||||||||+-- x: extended attribute change
|||||||||+--- a: ACL change
||||||||+---- u: update time change
|||||||+----- g: group change
||||||+------ o: owner change
|||||+------- p: permissions change
||||+-------- t: mod time change
|||+--------- s: size change
||+---------- c: checksum change (or creation)
|+----------- X: type change
+------------ Y: update type

# Y values
< : file sent
> : file received
c : local change
h : hard link
. : unchanged
* : message

# Test with dry run first
rsync -avhn --delete source/ dest/

# Verbose output
rsync -avvh source/ dest/

# Debug
rsync -avh --debug=ALL source/ dest/

# Check what would be deleted
rsync -avhn --delete source/ dest/ | grep deleting

# Verify after transfer
rsync -avhc source/ dest/

# Parallel rsync (for many small files)
ls /source/ | parallel -j4 rsync -avh /source/{} /dest/

# Faster for local transfers (no checksum)
rsync -avh source/ dest/

# Faster for remote (compression)
rsync -avhz source/ user@host:/dest/

# Very large files
rsync -avhP --inplace source/ dest/

# Skip checksum (use size/time only)
rsync -avh source/ dest/          # Default behavior