Backup Scripts - Linux Disk Synchronization Utility 🗂️🔁

Description 📖

A command-line backup utility that uses rsync to synchronize folders or entire disks on Linux systems. The C++ program (backup_scripts_2.cpp) asks the user for source and destination paths, then executes rsync -av --delete to perform the synchronization.

⚠️ WARNING: The --delete option will remove files from the destination that are not present in the source.

Key Features ✨

• Simple CLI interface written in C++
• Uses rsync for reliable and efficient synchronization
• Two modes: copy a specific folder or sync an entire disk
• Support for paths with spaces (quoted rsync commands)
• Shows which paths are being copied in the output

Requirements 🛠️

• Linux (or any system with rsync installed)
• rsync installed
• g++ to compile the C++ program
• (Optional) Python3 + pyfiglet library for ASCII art header

Installation on Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y rsync g++ python3-pip
pip3 install pyfiglet

Installation on Fedora:

sudo dnf update
sudo dnf install -y rsync g++ python3-pip
pip3 install pyfiglet

Build & Run ▶️

Step 1: Modify the source paths in the code

Open the file backup_scripts_2.cpp and replace the default paths with your actual paths.

Line 20 - Option 1 (Copy a single folder):

system("rsync -av --delete /your/source/path/ /your/destination/path/");

Replace /your/source/path/ and /your/destination/path/ with your actual paths (e.g., /media/user/HDD/documents/ and /media/user/SSD/backup/documents/).

Line 30 - Option 2 (Sync entire disk):

system("rsync -av --delete /your/source/path/ /your/destination/path/");

Replace /your/source/path/ and /your/destination/path/ with your actual disk or partition paths (e.g., /mnt/source_disk/ and /mnt/destination_disk/).

Step 2: Compile the C++ program

g++ -o backup_scripts_2 backup_scripts_2.cpp

Step 3: Run the program

./backup_scripts_2

Follow the prompts to select the mode and enter your source and destination paths.

Usage Example 🧭

1. Choose option 1 to copy a single folder, or option 2 to sync an entire disk
2. Enter your source path (e.g., /media/user/HDD/documents/)
3. Enter your destination path (e.g., /media/user/SSD/backup/documents/)
4. Confirm and wait for the synchronization to complete

Important Warning ⚠️

The program uses --delete with rsync by default. This means files that exist in the destination but not in the source will be deleted. Double-check your source and destination paths before running to avoid accidental data loss.

If you prefer to keep files in the destination, remove the --delete option from the command in backup_scripts_2.cpp.

Troubleshooting 🐞

• "rsync: command not found": install rsync
• Permission denied: run with appropriate permissions (use sudo if needed)
• Path not found: verify your source/destination paths and that devices are mounted
• Compilation errors: ensure g++ is installed and up to date

Project Structure 📁

backup_scripts/
├── backup_scripts_2.cpp    # C++ backend program
├── README.md               # This file
└── LICENSE                 # GPLv3 License

License 📜

This project is licensed under GPLv3.

Acknowledgments 🙏

• rsync - File synchronization tool
• pyfiglet - ASCII art library (optional)