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Test rsync with a dry run

harmlessrsync and backupalle
Adjust the values, the command updates live
user@server
rsync -av --dry-run /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/ /backup/example.com/httpdocs/

--dry-run (short -n) simulates the complete run and lists every file that would be transferred, followed by a summary. Nothing is changed at the destination. This lets you check that paths and excludes are correct before the real run.

Note: The trailing slash on the source is crucial: QUELLE/ copies the contents, while QUELLE without a slash creates an additional subfolder at the destination.

Also searched as

  • rsync dry run
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Related one-liners

All in rsync and backup

Incremental backup with hard links using rsync --link-dest

#rsync -a --link-dest=/backup/example.com/aktuell /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/ /backup/example.com/$(date +%F)/ && ln -sfn /backup/example.com/$(date +%F) /backup/example.com/aktuell
cautionrsync and backup

Transfer files to another server with rsync over SSH

$rsync -avz -e 'ssh -p 22' /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/ webuser@backup.example.com:/home/webuser/backup/httpdocs/
cautionrsync and backup

Verify a backup against the original using checksums

$rsync -rcn --itemize-changes /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/ /backup/example.com/httpdocs/
harmlessrsync and backup

Copy a directory locally with all permissions and attributes

#rsync -aHAX --info=progress2 /var/www/vhosts/ /mnt/newdisk/vhosts/
cautionrsync and backup

Create a compressed tar backup with the date in the name

#tar -czf /var/backups/example.com-httpdocs-$(date +%F).tar.gz -C /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs .
cautionrsync and backup

Extract a tar.gz archive without overwriting files

$mkdir -p /tmp/restore && tar -xzf /var/backups/example.com-httpdocs-2026-10-09.tar.gz -C /tmp/restore --skip-old-files
cautionrsync and backup

Read first, then run.

The commands on myline.de act directly on servers, files and databases. A wrong path or placeholder can delete data irreversibly or make a server unreachable.

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  • Understand what a command does before running it, and check every placeholder.
  • Make a backup first and, if possible, try it on a test system.
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