Rsync Cheatsheet

If you have an ssh access to a remote server. Deploying websites with rsync is a great option for simple sites and solo projects.

Here’s a concise rsync cheatsheet for quick reference:

Basic Syntax

rsync [options] source destination

- source: Path of the file or directory to copy from.
- destination: Path of the file or directory to copy to.

Common Options

Option	Description
-a	Archive mode; copies recursively and preserves permissions, times, symbolic links, etc.
-v	Verbose; shows progress details.
-z	Compresses files during transfer.
-h	Outputs numbers in a human-readable format.
–progress	Shows transfer progress of each file.
–delete	Deletes files in the destination that aren’t in the source.
-r	Recursive; used for directories.
–exclude=’pattern’	Excludes files that match the given pattern.
-e	ssh Uses SSH for secure file transfer.

Examples

1. Basic Sync (Local)

rsync -av source/ destination/

1. Remote Sync (over SSH)

rsync -avz -e ssh user@remote_host:/path/to/source/ /local/destination/

1. Sync with Progress and Human-readable Size

rsync -avh --progress source/ destination/

1. Delete Extraneous Files in Destination

rsync -av --delete source/ destination/

1. Exclude Files

rsync -av --exclude='*.log' source/ destination/

1. Dry Run (Shows what would happen without making changes)

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

1. Sync Only Files Newer in Source

rsync -au source/ destination/

Advanced Usage

1. Mirror Directories

rsync -avz --delete source/ destination/

1. Copy Only File Structure (No File Content)

rsync -av -f"+ */" -f"- *" source/ destination/

1. Limit Bandwidth Usage

rsync -av --bwlimit=1000 source/ destination/

Tips

• End with a Slash (/): Appending / to the source copies the contents of the directory, not the directory itself.
• Dry Run: Always use –dry-run to verify before executing destructive options (e.g., –delete).
• SSH Shortcut: Use -e ssh for encrypted transfers over SSH.

This cheatsheet covers the essentials to get you started with rsync for efficient file transfers and synchronization tasks!