https://github.com/rubo77/rsync-homedir-excludes

https://github.com/rubo77/rsync-homedir-excludes

hacktoberfest

Last synced: 5 months ago
JSON representation

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/rubo77/rsync-homedir-excludes
• Owner: rubo77
• License: unlicense
• Created: 2015-08-30T08:38:08.000Z (almost 11 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2024-08-16T12:46:00.000Z (almost 2 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2025-10-14T15:38:54.433Z (9 months ago)
• Topics: hacktoberfest
• Homepage:
• Size: 72.3 KB
• Stars: 538
• Watchers: 17
• Forks: 135
• Open Issues: 4
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE

Awesome Lists containing this project

README

          
# rsync-homedir-excludes

This project maintains a list of directories and files you probably do not need to back up, which you can pass to the `rsync` command's `--exclude-from` option.

## Usage:

    # download to `rsync-homedir-local.txt`

    wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rubo77/rsync-homedir-excludes/master/rsync-homedir-excludes.txt -O rsync-homedir-local.txt

    # or clone and copy to `rsync-homedir-local.txt`

    git clone https://github.com/rubo77/rsync-homedir-excludes

    cd rsync-homedir-excludes

    cp rsync-homedir-excludes.txt rsync-homedir-local.txt

    # edit the file rsync-homedir-local.txt to your needs

    nano rsync-homedir-local.txt

    # define a Backup directory (with trailing slash!)

    # some examples:

    BACKUPDIR=/media/workspace/home/$USER

    BACKUPDIR=/media/$USER/linuxbackup/home/$USER

    BACKUPDIR=/media/$USER/USBSTICK/backup/home/$USER

    # first specify the "-n" parameter so rsync will simulate its operation. You should use this before you start:

    rsync -naP --exclude-from=rsync-homedir-local.txt /home/$USER/ $BACKUPDIR/

    # check for permission denied errors in your homedir:

    rsync -naP --exclude-from=rsync-homedir-local.txt /home/$USER/ $BACKUPDIR/ | grep denied

    # if it is all fine, actually perform your backup:

    rsync -aP --exclude-from=rsync-homedir-local.txt /home/$USER/ $BACKUPDIR/

You can edit the exclude file before execution:

- All lines starting with a `#` are ignored by rsync, i.e. those directories will be backed up.

- The syntax doesn't support comments at the end of a line yet.

- At the start there is a section with directories that are probably not worth backing up. Uncomment those lines to exclude them as well.

## Making incremental backups:

When running locally or with the `--whole-file` option (for backups over SSH), rsync doesn't modify files but replaces them entirely. This allows us to create a snapshot directory (with hardlinks) with the state of the backup directory at a certain point in time.  

Run this after finishing the `rsync` backup and it'll create a new snapshot:

    BACKUPDIR=/media/workspace/home/$USER

    SNAPSHOT_DIR="$BACKUPDIR.snapshot_$(date +'%Y-%m-%d_%H%M%S' -u)"

    cp -al $BACKUPDIR $SNAPSHOT_DIR

Next time you run your backup, the snapshot directory will be intact despite the changes rsync made to the files in the backup directory.