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
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| rsync [options] source destination
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| - source: Path of the file or directory to copy from.
- destination: Path of the file or directory to copy to.
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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
- Basic Sync (Local)
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| rsync -av source/ destination/
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- Remote Sync (over SSH)
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| rsync -avz -e ssh user@remote_host:/path/to/source/ /local/destination/
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- Sync with Progress and Human-readable Size
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rsync -avh --progress source/ destination/
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- Delete Extraneous Files in Destination
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rsync -av --delete source/ destination/
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- Exclude Files
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rsync -av --exclude='*.log' source/ destination/
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- Dry Run (Shows what would happen without making changes)
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rsync -av --dry-run source/ destination/
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- Sync Only Files Newer in Source
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| rsync -au source/ destination/
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Advanced Usage
- Mirror Directories
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rsync -avz --delete source/ destination/
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- Copy Only File Structure (No File Content)
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| rsync -av -f"+ */" -f"- *" source/ destination/
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- Limit Bandwidth Usage
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| rsync -av --bwlimit=1000 source/ destination/
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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!