---
name: "openrsync"
section: "1"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/openrsync"
---

# openrsync(1)

synchronise local and remote files

## NAME

**openrsync** – synchronise local and remote files

## SYNOPSIS

**openrsync** \[**-aDgIJlnOoprtVvx**\] \[**-e** *program*\] \[**--address**=*sourceaddr*\] \[**--compare-dest**=*directory*\] \[**--contimeout**=*seconds*\] \[**--del**\] \[**--exclude** *pattern*\] \[**--exclude-from**=*file*\] \[**--include** *pattern*\] \[**--include-from**=*file*\] \[**--max-size**=size\] \[**--min-size**=size\] \[**--no-motd**\] \[**--numeric-ids**\] \[**--port**=*service*\] \[**--rsync-path**=*program*\] \[**--size-only**\] \[**--timeout**=*seconds*\] *source* *...* *directory*

## DESCRIPTION

The **openrsync** utility synchronises files in the destination *directory* with one or more *source* files. Either the *source* or the destination *directory* may be remote, but not both.

The options are as follows:

- **-a**, **--archive**

  Shorthand for **-Dgloprt**.

- **--address**=*sourceaddr*

  When connecting to an rsync daemon, use *sourceaddr* as the source address for connections, which is useful on machines with multiple interfaces.

- **--compare-dest**=*directory*

  Use directory as an alternate base directory to compare files against on the destination machine. If file in *directory* is found and identical to the sender's file, the file will not be transferred. Multiple **--compare-dest** directories may be provided. If *directory* is a relative path, it is relative to the destination directory.

- **--contimeout**=*seconds*

  Set the connection timeout in seconds. Exit if no connection established within the specified time. The default is 0, which means no timeout.

- **-D**

  Also transfer device and special files. Shorthand for **--devices** **--specials**.

- **--del**, **--delete**

  Delete files in *directory* not found in *source* directories. Only applicable with **-r**.

- **--devices**

  Also transfer device files.

- **-e** *program*, **--rsh**=*program*

  Specify alternative communication program, defaults to [ssh(1)](/ssh/1.md).

- **--exclude** *pattern*

  Exclude files matching *pattern*.

- **--exclude-from**=*file*

  Load *patterns* and *rules* from *file*.

- **-g**, **--group**

  Set the group name to match the source. For example, group "kristaps" with ID 1000 on a remote server is matched to group "kristaps" on the local machine with ID 2000. If **--numeric-ids** is also given or if the remote group name is unknown on the local machine, set the numeric group ID to match the source instead.

- **-I**, **--ignore-times**

  Do not skip based on file size and modification time.

- **--include** *pattern*

  Include files matching *pattern*.

- **--include-from**=*file*

  Load *patterns* and *rules* from *file*.

- **-J**, **--omit-link-times**

  Don't set symlink modification times to match the source.

- **-l**, **--links**

  Also transfer symbolic links. The link is transferred as a standalone file: if the destination does not exist, it will be broken.

- **--max-size** *size*

  Don't transfer any file that is larger than *size* bytes. Alternatively *size* may instead use a multiplier, as documented in scan\_scaled(3), to specify the size.

- **--min-size** *size*

  Don't transfer any file that is smaller than *size* bytes. See **--max-size** on the definition of size.

- **-n**, **--dry-run**

  Do not actually modify the destination. Mainly useful in combination with **-v**.

- **--no-motd**

  Do not display the Message of the Day.

- **--numeric-ids**

  Ignore user and group names, use numeric user and group IDs only. Has no effect unless **-g** or **-o** is also given.

- **-O**, **--omit-dir-times**

  Don't set directory modification times to match the source.

- **-o**, **--owner**

  Set the user name to match the source, with similar matching logic as for **-g**. If **--numeric-ids** is also given or if the remote user name is unknown on the local machine, set the numeric user ID to match the source instead. Only works if run as root.

- **-p**, **--perms**

  Set destination file or directory permissions to match the source when it is updated.

- **--port**=*service*

  Specify an alternative TCP port number. The *service* can be given as a decimal integer or as a name to be looked up in the [services(5)](/services/5.md) database. The default is “rsync”.

- **-r**, **--recursive**

  If *source* designates a directory, synchronise the directory and the entire subtree connected at that point. If *source* ends with a slash, only the subtree is synchronised, not the *source* directory itself. If *source* is a file, this has no effect.

- **--rsync-path**=*program*

  Run *program* on the remote host instead of the default *rsync*.

- **--size-only**

  Skip files based only on size, don't check timestamp.

- **--specials**

  Also transfer fifo and unix domain socket files.

- **-t**, **--times**

  Set destination file and directory modification time to match the source when it is updated or created.

- **--timeout**=*seconds*

  Set the I/O timeout in seconds. Exit if no data was transferred for the specified time. The default is 0, which means no timeout.

- **-V**, **--version**

  Print version and exit.

- **-v**, **--verbose**

  Increase verbosity. Specify once for files being transferred, twice for specific status, thrice for per-file transfer information, and four times for per-file breakdowns.

- **-x**

  Do not cross filesystem boundaries. If this option is repeated, all mount point directories from the copy are omitted. Otherwise, it includes an empty directory at each mount point it encounters.

A remote *source* or *directory* has the syntax *host*:*path* for connecting via [ssh(1)](/ssh/1.md), or **rsync**://*host*/*path* or *host*::*path* for connecting to a remote daemon. Subsequent to the first remote *source*, the host may be dropped to become just :*path* or ::*path*.

For connecting to a remote daemon with **rsync**://*host* or *host*::*path*, the first path component is interpreted as a "module": *host*::*module*/*path*. This only applies to the first *source* invocation; subsequent to that, the module should not be specified.

By default, new destination files and directories are given the current time and the source file permissions. Updated files retain their existing permissions. It is an error if updated files have their file types change (e.g., updating a directory with a file).

At this time, *source* may only consist of regular files, directories (only with **-r**), or symbolic links (only with **-l**). The destination *directory* must be a directory and is created if not found.

## EXIT STATUS

The **openrsync** utility exits 0 on success, 1 if an error occurs, or 2 if the remote protocol version is older than the local protocol version.

## EXAMPLES

All examples use **-t** so that destination files inherit the source time. If not changed, subsequent invocations of **openrsync** will then consider the file up to date and not transfer block hashes.

To update the out-of-date remote files *host:dest/bar* and *host:dest/baz* with the local *../src/bar* and *../src/baz*:

```
% rsync -t ../src/bar ../src/baz host:dest
```

To update the out-of-date local files *bar* and *baz* with the remote files *host:src/bar* and *host:src/baz*:

```
% rsync -t host:src/bar :src/baz .
```

To update the out-of-date local files *../dest/bar* and *../dest/baz* with *bar* and *baz*:

```
% rsync -t bar baz ../dest
```

## SEE ALSO

[ssh(1)](/ssh/1.md)

## STANDARDS

**openrsync** is compatible with rsync protocol version 27 as supported by the samba.org implementation of rsync.

## HISTORY

The **openrsync** utility has been available since OpenBSD 6.5.

## AUTHORS

The **openrsync** utility was written by Kristaps Dzonsons ⟨*kristaps@bsd.lv*⟩.