Last Updated on: 26th November 2023, 01:15 pm
Web site: rsync.samba.org
Category: Network
Subcategory: File Backup and Sync
Platform: BSD, Linux, OS X, UNIX-like, Windows
License: GPL
Interface: CLI
First release: June 19, 1996
rsync – an open source utility that provides fast incremental file transfer.
rsync uses the “rsync algorithm” which provides a very fast method for bringing remote files into sync. It does this by sending just the differences in the files across the link, without requiring that both sets of files are present at one of the ends of the link beforehand.
It can copy locally, to/from another host over any remote shell, or to/from a remote rsync daemon. It offers a large number of options that control every aspect of its behavior and permit very flexible specification of the set of files to be copied. It is famous for its delta-transfer algorithm, which reduces the amount of data sent over the network by sending only the differences between the source files and the existing files in the destination. Rsync is widely used for backups and mirroring and as an improved copy command for everyday use.
Some features of rsync:
– can update whole directory trees and filesystems
– optionally preserves symbolic links, hard links, file ownership, permissions, devices and times
– requires no special privileges to install
– internal pipelining reduces latency for multiple files
– can use rsh, ssh or direct sockets as the transport
– supports anonymous rsync which is ideal for mirroring
rsync was originally written by Andrew Tridgell and Paul Mackerras.