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Use rsync --delete only after a complete dry run confirms every proposed deletion. The option removes files and directories from the receiving side when they are absent from the sending side. It applies to synchronized directories, not to an arbitrary disk, and ordinary exclude rules protect excluded destination files. A safe run confirms both paths, reviews itemized output, preserves recoverable copies when the data matters, and leaves --ignore-errors disabled unless deletion after source I/O errors is an intentional choice.
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The command does not provide an undo button. Recovery depends on a backup made during the run, a snapshot, or another independent copy, so the preparation is part of the operation rather than an optional precaution.
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Rsync compares the selected source tree with the selected destination tree. With --delete, an entry that exists in the receiving directory but has no corresponding entry in the sending directory is considered extraneous and is removed. The comparison is limited to directories that the command is synchronizing; it is not a general-purpose cleanup of unrelated destination paths.
For example, if /srv/source/old-level.dat has been removed from the source and /srv/destination/old-level.dat still exists, a synchronized run with --delete proposes deletion of the destination copy. If the file still exists in the source, rsync does not delete it merely because it is old or unchanged. A file changed on the source is normally transferred or updated, not treated as an extraneous destination file.
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Excluded files are normally protected
Standard exclude rules have an important safety effect: an excluded destination file is not removed by ordinary deletion processing. This lets you mirror a managed subset of a directory while retaining files that are intentionally outside that subset.
--delete-excluded changes that property. It allows excluded files to be deleted as well, so it should be treated as a separate, higher-risk mode. Receiver-side filter rules can also alter what the receiving side considers protected. Review every include and exclude rule in the same dry run as the deletion option.
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Rsync’s first path is the sending side and the second path is the receiving side. Reversing them can make a valid command destructive in the opposite direction. Verify the host, mount point, account, and directory on both ends before adding deletion.
Why the trailing slash and path form matter
Use the directory paths deliberately. A pattern such as /srv/source/ means the contents of that directory are synchronized into the destination directory. The exact path form determines which tree rsync walks and therefore which destination entries can be judged extraneous.
A shell wildcard is expanded before rsync starts. For instance, the shell may turn /srv/source/* into a list of current children. That can prevent rsync from treating /srv/source as the synchronized parent tree and can change deletion behavior. Do not substitute a wildcard for a directory path unless you have specifically verified the resulting file list and its deletion scope.
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The safe workflow
- Identify the tree. Confirm that the source is the intended directory, is mounted, and is readable. Confirm that the destination is the intended receiving directory on the intended host.
- Use explicit directory paths. Prefer a form such as
/srv/source/to/srv/destination/, with the trailing-slash behavior you intend. Avoid an unexaminedsource/*expansion. - Run the complete command as a dry run. Add
--dry-run(or-n) and--itemize-changes. Keep the same archive, filter, remote, and deletion options that the real run will use. - Inspect every deletion. Search the output for lines containing
*deleting. Do not proceed while a deletion is unexplained. Check spelling, case, mount status, filters, and the source’s current contents when a line is surprising. - Review filters separately. Confirm that intended exclusions remain protected. Treat
--delete-excludedas a deliberate change in policy, not as a small variation of the normal command. - Add a recovery path for valuable data. Use
--backupand a separately managed--backup-dirwhen replaced or deleted destination files must be recoverable. - Execute the reviewed command. Remove only
--dry-run; keep the paths, filters, timing mode, and safety options unchanged. Log the run and retain the backup directory according to your recovery policy. - Keep error protection enabled. Do not add
--ignore-errorsunless you have consciously accepted deletion despite sender-side I/O errors.
Build and review a dry run
A dry run should be the full production command with simulation enabled, not a simplified test that omits the options which determine the file set. The basic pattern is:
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rsync -a --dry-run --itemize-changes /srv/source/ /srv/destination/Here -a is the archive-style transfer selection used in the example; adapt permissions, ownership, ACL, extended attributes, remote-shell settings, and filters to your environment. The significant safety feature is that rsync calculates and reports changes without applying them.
How to read the output
- Lines marked with
*deletingidentify destination entries that the simulated run would remove. - Other itemized lines can indicate files to create, update, or alter metadata on the destination. Review them too: an unexpectedly broad transfer often signals the wrong path, mount, or filter.
- A dry run is meaningful only when the source is in its normal mounted and readable state. If the source is empty because a filesystem failed to mount, rsync can correctly interpret that empty view as a tree from which destination files are absent.
Save the output when the run is operationally important. A saved report gives another administrator a concrete list to approve and makes it easier to compare the actual execution with the reviewed plan.
Protect recoverable copies with backups
--backup tells rsync to rename pre-existing destination files as they are transferred or deleted. --backup-dir places those renamed files in a separate directory, allowing a deleted destination file to be recovered without reconstructing it from memory.
rsync -a --backup --backup-dir=/srv/rsync-trash/ --delete /srv/source/ /srv/destination/Run the same command with --dry-run --itemize-changes first. Ensure the backup directory is outside the mirrored tree. If it lies inside that tree, the next synchronization can treat the recovery copies as extraneous and remove them. Alternatively, protect an in-tree location with explicit filter rules and verify those rules in the dry run; an external directory is easier to reason about.
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Manage the backup directory as a retention system
- Give it enough capacity for the files that may be replaced or deleted.
- Restrict access because it can contain historical or sensitive data.
- Record which synchronization created each backup set, especially when several jobs share a host.
- Define a retention period and an independent backup or snapshot if the recovery copies are important.
- Do not assume that a successful rsync run also protects the backup directory from disk failure; it is still a single storage location unless separately copied.
Choose deletion timing deliberately
Rsync offers deletion timing modes that determine when destination deletions occur relative to file transfer. Selecting one explicitly avoids relying on version-dependent defaults.
| Mode | When deletions occur | Operational considerations |
|---|---|---|
--delete-during |
While each directory is being processed during the transfer. | Default timing in rsync 3.0.0 and newer when no timing option is supplied. Deletions and transfers can interleave, so an interrupted run can leave a partially updated destination. |
--delete-before |
Before the associated transfer work. | Older rsync versions use this as the default when no timing option is supplied. Removing files first can free destination space, but an interruption after deletion and before transfer leaves the destination missing those files. |
--delete-after |
After the transfer work. | Can keep old destination files available until new content has been transferred. Per-directory merge-file rules must be in effect before deletion; postponing deletion can also require more destination space during the run. |
The table describes ordering, not a guarantee of transactional behavior. None of these modes makes a run atomic or supplies rollback. For reproducible operations across hosts, specify the timing mode rather than depending on the default, particularly when one host may run an rsync version older than 3.0.0.
Understand error behavior before enabling deletion
Rsync normally disables destination deletions when the sending side reports I/O errors. This protection helps prevent an unreadable or incompletely mounted source from making the destination look like an intentionally pruned mirror.
--ignore-errors overrides that protection. With it enabled, rsync can continue deleting destination entries even when sender-side I/O errors occurred. Use the option only when the consequences are understood and an alternate recovery mechanism is in place. It is not a routine fix for a failed disk, a missing mount, or transient read errors.
When a dry run shows an unexpectedly empty source
- Stop before executing the deletion.
- Check that the source filesystem is mounted at the expected path.
- List representative directories and files using a non-destructive command.
- Check read errors and the account’s permissions.
- Repeat the dry run after the source is healthy.
A dry run against an empty mount point is not proof that the destination should be emptied; it is a signal to verify the source environment.
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Common ways the wrong files get deleted
Reversed paths
Putting the destination first makes the formerly receiving tree the source and changes which side is eligible for deletion. Read the command aloud as “send this tree to that tree” before running it.
Wrong host or mount point
Remote-shell syntax can still point to a valid directory on the wrong machine. Confirm the remote identity and inspect the destination path interactively when possible. A mounted backup disk can also hide the directory contents that you thought you were synchronizing; verify mounts before the dry run.
Wildcard expansion
As described above, the shell expands wildcards before rsync sees them. The resulting argument list may no longer represent one parent tree, so use explicit directory paths for mirror operations.
Filter changes
An added exclude can protect files you expected to mirror, while --delete-excluded can remove files you expected to retain. Keep filters under version control or in a reviewed job configuration and inspect their effect in itemized output.
Concurrent writers
If applications continue creating, renaming, or deleting files while rsync scans the source, the dry-run plan can become stale before execution. Quiesce writers, use an application-consistent snapshot, or accept and document the race. The supplied command options do not make a live filesystem snapshot.
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A production-ready command pattern
The following two-command pattern separates review from execution:
rsync -a --dry-run --itemize-changes /srv/source/ /srv/destination/After every deletion and unexpected transfer has been approved:
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rsync -a --backup --backup-dir=/srv/rsync-trash/ --delete /srv/source/ /srv/destination/Add the filter, remote-shell, metadata, and explicitly selected deletion-timing options required by your environment to both commands. Do not add an option to the real run that was absent from the reviewed dry run. If you choose a timing mode for predictable behavior, place the same mode in both commands.
What to do after an accidental deletion
Stop subsequent synchronization jobs first; another run can delete or overwrite the remaining evidence. If --backup --backup-dir was used, locate the renamed file in the backup directory and restore it to the destination after confirming its path and permissions. Preserve the backup set until the restoration has been verified.
If no rsync backup was made, rsync itself has no built-in undo operation. Recovery must come from an independent filesystem snapshot, backup system, replica, or the original source if the source copy still exists. Avoid experimenting on the only remaining copy; restore into a separate location, verify the contents, and then copy the verified result back.
Pre-flight checklist
- Source host, mount, account, and directory are confirmed.
- Destination host, mount, account, and directory are confirmed.
- Directory paths—not an unexamined wildcard—are used.
- The source is readable and contains the expected top-level entries.
- Archive, metadata, include, and exclude options match the intended policy.
--delete-excludedis absent unless explicitly required and approved.- The exact production command has been run with
--dry-run --itemize-changes. - Every
*deletingline is expected. --backupand an external, managed--backup-dirare configured when recovery matters.--ignore-errorsremains disabled unless deletion after sender I/O errors is intentional.- Logging and backup retention are defined.
- Concurrent writers are stopped or the consistency limitation is accepted.
The Bottom Line
Safe rule: treat --delete as a reviewed mirror policy, not a convenience flag. Verify both directory paths and the source mount, dry-run the complete command, inspect every *deleting entry, preserve recoverable copies for valuable data, and leave --ignore-errors off by default.
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