---
tags: [file-transfer, Linux, procedural, disks]
created: Saturday, April 26, 2025
---

# rsync

## Ordering

### Local to local

```
SOURCE_DIR > TARGET_DIR
```

### Local to remote

```
LOCAL_SOURC_DIR > REMOTE_TARGET_DIR
```

### Remote to local

```
REMOTE_TARGET_DIR > LOCAL_SOURC_DIR
```

```sh
rsync -a <dir_to_copy_to> <dir_to_copy_from>
```

## Expanding directories

The following:

```sh
rsync -a local_dir  target_dir
```

Will create `/target_dir/local_dir` at the target. In other words it will nest
the actual directory you are interested in within what you have named the
target.

To avoid this, add a slash to the source directory, viz:

```sh
rysync -a local_dir/ target_dir
```

Now, at the target, there will just be `local_dir`.

## Standard options I use

```sh
rsync -vzP
```

- verbose output

- use compression (only really useful when running rysnc over a network)

- display progress

- preserve partially copied filed and resume if network connection interrupted

## Archive mode

Use "archive mode" when specifically wanting to create a backup of a directory
(i.e. for long term storage rather than immediate use).

```sh
rsync -a
```

Archive mode is an umbrella for the following flags:

- `-r`: recursive

- `l`: copy [symlinks](./Symlinks.md) as symlinks

- `p`: preserve permissions

- `t`: preserve times

- `g`: preserve group