You might not even like rsync. Yeah it's old. Yeah it's slow. But if you're working with Linux you're going to need to know it. In this video I walk through my favorite everyday flags for rsync. Su...

You might not even like rsync. Yeah it’s old. Yeah it’s slow. But if you’re working with Linux you’re going to need to know it.

In this video I walk through my favorite everyday flags for rsync.

Support the channel:
https://patreon.com/VeronicaExplains
https://ko-fi.com/VeronicaExplains
https://thestopbits.bandcamp.com/

Here’s a companion blog post, where I cover a bit more detail: https://vkc.sh/everyday-rsync

Also, @BreadOnPenguins made an awesome rsync video and you should check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eifQI5uD6VQ

Lastly, I left out all of the ssh setup stuff because I made a video about that and the blog post goes into a smidge more detail. If you want to see a video covering the basics of using SSH, I made one a few years ago and it’s still pretty good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FKsdbjzBcc

Chapters:
1:18 Invoking rsync
4:05 The --delete flag for rsync
5:30 Compression flag: -z
6:02 Using tmux and rsync together
6:30 but Veronica… why not use (insert shiny object here)

  • MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    4·
    19 hours ago

    Surely restic or borg would be better for backups?

    Rsync can send files and not delete stuff, but there’s no versioning or retention settings.

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      23·
      18 hours ago

      For versioning/retention, just use snapshots in whatever filesystem you’re using (you are using a proper filesystem like ZFS or BTRFS, right?).

      • MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        2·
        15 hours ago

        How does that get sent over rsync though? Wouldn’t you need snapshots on the remote destination server?

        Why not just use a backup utility instead?

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          1·
          14 hours ago

          Yes, async copies files to the remote server, the remote server takes regular snapshots.

          Why not just use a backup utility instead?

          What is that utility providing that snapshots + rsync doesn’t. If rsync + snapshots is sufficient, why overcomplicate it with a backup utility?

          • MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
            2·
            14 hours ago

            The main things that come to mind are you have to test/monitor 2 seperate actions instead of 1, and restores of single files could be more difficult since you need to login to the backup server, restore the file from a snapshot, then also copy that file back to your PC.

            • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
              1·
              8 hours ago

              My point is, how often do you actually need to restore from backup? If it’s frequent, consider a dedicated tool for whatever that thing is. If it’s infrequent, it’ll probably easier to just learn how to do it every five years or whatever.

              If you like borg/restic/etc, by all means, use it.

              My point is that most people probably don’t need it. Snapshots are something you set up once, and you should probably use them even if you’re using something like borg for any files that aren’t covered (e.g. config files on the server). Rsync is also something you set up once, and checking it is the same as any other service.