rsync Command Generator

How to use

1. 1Start from a preset such as deploy to a server or local backup, or fill in the fields yourself.
2. 2Set the source and destination paths, and for each side choose local or remote over SSH, adding the user and host for remote endpoints.
3. 3Decide whether the source needs a trailing slash: on copies the folder contents, off copies the folder itself.
4. 4Pick a transfer mode and toggle flags like compression, progress, and checksum, then add any exclude or include patterns.
5. 5Leave Dry run on to preview safely, enable a delete option only if you want an exact mirror, then copy the command and review it in your terminal before running.

About this tool

rsync Command Generator turns the form below into a ready-to-paste rsync command line, so you do not have to remember the flag soup from the manual. You set a source and a destination, choose whether each side is a local path or a remote host reached over SSH, and pick the behaviour you want. The tool assembles the command in real time and explains every flag it adds. rsync is the standard Unix tool for copying and synchronising files efficiently, because after the first run it transfers only the differences between the two sides rather than the whole tree, which is why it is the workhorse behind deployments, server backups, and moving large folders between machines. Its power comes with two famous traps, and this builder is designed around both. The first is the trailing slash on the source. A source written as src/ copies the contents of that folder into the destination, while the same source written as src copies the folder itself, creating destination/src. The builder exposes this as an explicit toggle and states in plain language what the current choice does, so you stop guessing. The second trap is deletion. By default rsync only adds and updates files, but the delete options make the destination an exact mirror by removing files that no longer exist on the source, and that can erase data if it is pointed at the wrong place. To keep that safe the builder keeps the dry run flag on by default, shows a prominent destructive-action warning whenever a delete option is enabled, and labels the copy button so you know the command would remove files before you run it. Beyond those, you can switch between archive mode (the recommended -a, which preserves permissions, timestamps, ownership, and symlinks while recursing), plain recursive copy, or a named-files-only copy. You can toggle compression for network transfers, a progress bar with partial-file resume, verbose output, change itemisation, hard-link preservation, and checksum comparison, and you can set a bandwidth cap so a sync does not saturate the link. Exclude and include patterns are managed as a simple list, with one-click suggestions for the paths people skip most often such as .git and node_modules, and the tool quotes them for the shell. For remote transfers you can set a custom SSH port and identity file, which it folds into an -e "ssh ..." option. Paths with spaces are quoted so the command is safe to paste into Bash. Everything runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded, and the command is never executed here, so you always review it in your own terminal before running.

Free to use. Works in your browser. No signup, no login.