Rsync

rsync is a useful utility for synchronizing files. It can synch between hosts with SSH, locally between 2 directories, and more. A hosted version exists at rsync.net, offering a reliable, flexible solution for synchronizing files to a trusted remote.

This page focuses on the rsync CLI utility for Linux.

Installation

Installing rsync on Linux is easy, the package exists in most repositories:

## Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install -y rsync

## RedHat/Fedora/OpenSuSE
sudo dnf install -y rsync

## Alpine
sudo apk add rsync

Usage

Check rsync’s version with rsync --version. The commands in this documentation do not cover the full functionality of rsync. Rather, they’re a reflection of how I’ve used the tool.

Rsync Args

Note

This list is not exhaustive. It’s a cheat sheet I’ve made for myself. If I haven’t used an arg, it will not be listed below.

See a full list of rsync args, or check out an rsync cheat-sheet.

arg	description
-r	Recursive copy (unnecessary with -a)
-a	Archive mode, includes recursive transfer
-z	Compress the data
-v	Verbose/detailed info during transfer
-h	Human readable output

Replace cp command with rsync for faster transfers

Edit your ~/.bash_aliases file:

## other aliases

## Replace cp with rsync if rsync is installed
if [ -x /usr/bin/rsync ]; then
  alias cp="rsync --progress -auHxvz "
fi

Examples

Sync local path to remote

## Show a progress bar, archive & compress data during transfer, show verbose & human-readable output
rsync -avzh --progress /local/path user@remote:/remote/path/

Sync remote path to local

## Show a progress bar, archive & compress data during transfer, show verbose & human-readable output
rsync -avzh --progress user@remote:/remote/path/ /local/path

Last updated on April 13, 2026