How does rsync work Linux?
Rachel Hernandez
Updated on April 29, 2026
Hereof, what does rsync do in Linux?
Linux rsync command. On Unix-like operatingsystems, the rsync command synchronizes files from a sourceto a destination, on a local machine or over a secure networkconnection. It is a fast, flexible, secure replacement for thecommand rcp.
Beside above, what protocol does rsync use? Rsync operates in two different modes. Ituses compression and recursion to copy files or displaydirectory contents. In daemon mode, it uses Secure Shell(SSH, a file transfer protocol) or Remote Shell (RSH, a Unixcommand-line utility) to serve files through TCP port873.
Thereof, how does rsync command work?
An rsync process operates by communicating withanother rsync process, a sender and a receiver. At startup,an rsync client connects to a peer process. If the transferis local (that is, between file systems mounted on the same host)the peer can be created with fork, after setting up suitable pipesfor the connection.
Does rsync use SCP?
The major difference between these tools is how theycopy files. scp basically reads the source file and writesit to the destination. rsync also copies files locally orover a network. But it employs a special delta transfer algorithmand a few optimizations to make the operation a lotfaster.