This is the multi-page printable view of this section. Click here to print.

Return to the regular view of this page.

General information

There are some general information which might be nice to know.

1 - Latest version of rsync

The default /usr/bin/rsync differs between macOS versions:

  • macOS Sonoma: Uses rsync version 2.6.9 (released November 2006)
  • macOS Sequoia and Tahoe: Use openrsync, a BSD-licensed implementation compatible with rsync protocol 29 and version 2.6.9

Installing rsync via Homebrew

Install the latest version using Homebrew:

brew install rsync

After installation, configure RsyncUI:

  1. Navigate to Settings and select Rsync and path
  2. Enable Rsync ver3.x
  3. RsyncUI will automatically set the correct path

Note: RsyncUI’s snapshot and sync remote features require rsync version 3.x due to limitations in version 2.6.9.

2 - MIT License

The MIT License (MIT), also read about the MIT Licence (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_License) at Wkipedia.

Copyright (c) 2020 - 2025 - Thomas Evensen

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person
obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation
files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction,
including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge,
publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software,
and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject
to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included
in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

3 - RsyncUI files, JSON

RsyncUI stores all its data locally on your Mac in JSON format. This includes task configurations, log records, and user settings. Understanding the file structure can be helpful for backup or troubleshooting purposes.

File Locations

All RsyncUI files are stored in: $HOME/.rsyncosx/<macserialnumber>, where <macserialnumber> is your Mac’s serial number. RsyncUI retrieves this serial number automatically at startup.

At startup, RsyncUI reads the user settings and default configuration from JSON files. Log records are only loaded when viewing logs or when updating logs after a synchronization task.

Configuration Files

Task configurations are stored in:

$HOME/.rsyncosx/<macserialnumber>/configurations.json

If you use profiles, each profile has its own configuration file:

$HOME/.rsyncosx/<macserialnumber>/<profile>/configurations.json

Log Records

Synchronization logs are stored in:

$HOME/.rsyncosx/<macserialnumber>/<profile>/logrecords.json

User Settings

User settings are stored in:

$HOME/.rsyncosx/<macserialnumber>/rsyncuiconfig.json

User settings apply to all profiles.

The Log File

The application log file is a text file that can be viewed within RsyncUI:

$HOME/.rsyncosx/<macserialnumber>/rsyncui.txt

4 - Signing and notarization

RsyncUI is digitally signed with my Apple Developer Certificate and notarized (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202491) by Apple. This verification process ensures that the application is free from malicious code and will seamlessly integrate with Apple’s Gatekeeper technology. Upon opening either a new or updated application for the first time, Apple will issue a notification.