Important

The User Interface of RsyncUI may pose challenges for users unfamiliar with the rsync command. The primary objective is to simplify the usage of rsync, rather than providing a comprehensive introduction of rsync to macOS users. This scope is beyond the intended purpose of the interface. RsyncUI is a graphical layer atop the command-line tool rsync. It does not directly perform the underlying operations; rsync is responsible for the actual synchronization of data.

Before executing a new task in RsyncUI, please perform an estimation run, a –dry-run, and inspect the result. If you inadvertently set an empty directory as the source and the delete parameter is enabled, rsync will delete all files in the destination.

The delete parameter

The –delete parameter, herein referred to as the parameter, enables rsync to maintain absolute synchronization between the source and destination directories. When a file is deleted from the source, the parameter instructs rsync to delete the corresponding file from the destination. Conversely, if the parameter is disabled, the destination directory will contain additional data after deleting files from the source.

Therefore, it is crucial to ascertain whether the parameter is enabled or disabled. Enabling the parameter ensures complete synchronization between the source and destination directories.

How to remove and add the delete parameter

Select the Rsync parameters from the primary Sidebar menu. Select the task for which you want to add or remove the --delete parameter. And then toggle the Add –delete parameter, ON is added . After toggle, remember to update the task.

• if ON, the –delete parameter is included
• if off, the –delete parameter is removed

Temporary halt tasks

A task can be temporarily halted. Within the primary Synchronize view, select the task and right-click. Halting a task will retain the type of task that was halted when the task is resumed. An halted task displays a red stop sign in the action column.

Two options to save updates to data

This option applies to the data synchronized by RsyncUI. By enabling either of these options, you can save changes to data, such as deletions or updates, prior to a synchronization task.

Remote servers

RsyncUI compels data transfer via SSH if the destination is a remote server. The parameter -e ssh to rsync enables data transfer to be tunneled via SSH. It appears that recent versions of rsync or SSH do not require this parameter, but for safety, RsyncUI appends it if the destination is a remote server.

Through the SSH tunnel, the transfer is encrypted when transmitted over a network connection. Refer to the Passwordless login section for further information on SSH and SSH-keys. This feature cannot be disabled.