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Rsync Local Backup

rsync is excellent for local backups because it only copies differences, preserves metadata, and can mirror a directory tree quickly. For WordPress, it is most useful for copying site files to a local backup directory (or to a mounted secondary volume).

Quick Summary
  • Mirror WordPress files locally with rsync -a.
  • Use excludes to avoid caches and nested backups.
  • Be cautious with --delete (it removes files in the destination).
  • Prefer staging directories and restore drills.

A safe first copy (no deletion)​

Start without --delete until you trust your paths and excludes.

rsync-local-copy-safe.sh
sudo mkdir -p /backups/files-current

sudo rsync -a \
  --human-readable \
  --info=stats2,progress2 \
  --exclude 'wp-content/cache/' \
  --exclude 'wp-content/*/cache/' \
  --exclude 'wp-content/updraft/' \
  --exclude '*.log' \
  /var/www/html/ \
  /backups/files-current/

Notes:

  • The trailing slash on /var/www/html/ means "copy the contents of html".
  • Excludes are evaluated relative to the source root.

Mirror mode (with deletion)​

When you are sure the destination is correct, mirror mode keeps destination identical to source.

warning

--delete permanently removes files in the destination that do not exist in the source. If you point to the wrong destination, you can wipe data.

rsync-local-mirror-with-delete.sh
sudo rsync -a \
  --delete \
  --exclude 'wp-content/cache/' \
  --exclude 'wp-content/*/cache/' \
  --exclude 'wp-content/updraft/' \
  --exclude '*.log' \
  /var/www/html/ \
  /backups/files-mirror/

Verification​

Quick sanity checks:

verify-rsync-local-backup.sh
sudo test -d /backups/files-current/wp-content
sudo find /backups/files-current -maxdepth 2 -type f -name wp-config.php -print

sudo du -sh /var/www/html /backups/files-current

To validate your restore path, practice extracting/copying into a staging directory:

rsync-restore-drill-to-staging.sh
sudo rm -rf /tmp/restore-test
sudo mkdir -p /tmp/restore-test

sudo rsync -a /backups/files-current/ /tmp/restore-test/
sudo find /tmp/restore-test -maxdepth 2 -type d -name wp-content -print

Common mistakes​

  • Forgetting trailing slashes and copying a directory into itself.
  • Running --delete before verifying the destination.
  • Backing up plugin caches and nested backup archives.

Next steps​

  • Snapshot-style rsync backups: opt/docker-data/apps/docusaurus/site/docs/server/linux-server/10-backup-disaster-recovery/snapshot-style-backup-folder.mdx.