Copying Data

The copy subcommand tells Rclone to copy individual files to the cloud. For example, in the command

$ rclone copy <Source>/<File> <Target>:/<Path>/

<Target> refers to the cloud service defined in the Rclone configuration wizard. To display progress during the copy, you can also add the -P parameter (Figure 4). The application then displays both the transfer history and the time required, once the data transfer has completed. Note that Rclone overwrites existing files of the same name in the target directory without a warning prompt.

Figure 4: Copying individual files from the command line.

The application supports numerous flags (e.g., to avoid having to write the entire database from the source folder to the cloud every time you make a regular copy). To transfer just modified or newly added files, you can use the --max-age <age> flag to back up only the files that were modified during the specified time period. You can specify the time format in any increment from milliseconds to years. The flags are described in detail in the software documentation.

Synchronizing Data

When synchronizing data between two drives, Rclone has an option to delete data that no longer exists in the source folder from the target drive. The sync subcommand synchronizes locally stored content with the cloud; you'll only need the name of the root directory, not file names:

$ rclone sync -P /<Source>/ <Target>:/<Path>/

Rclone copies the data to the cloud and keeps the folder structure.

The -P parameter displays a progress bar. Rclone then displays the names of the individual files that it is currently synchronizing with the cloud. By default, the tool transfers up to four files simultaneously. If required, you can set a higher number of simultaneous transfers with the --transfers=<number> parameter (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Rclone synchronizes large databases by transferring several files in parallel.

Graphical Front End

The developers of Rclone provide a graphical, web-based front end for the application. The command

rclone rcd --rc-web-gui

retrieves the package from the project's GitHub page and sets it up. After the install, the graphical dashboard (Figure 6) automatically appears in your local web browser. You can call it up again later at any time by typing http://127.0.0.1:5572/ in the address bar.

Figure 6: The Rclone graphical user interface looks very professional.

The front end gives you direct access to the content of the target cloud account. You can use the Explorer file manager option in the left control bar to browse the content, navigate between the individual directory trees, and download or share files from the cloud. You can also create new directories in the cloud or upload content with the buttons displayed top right in the window. A search function can help you search for specific file formats, and the Configs option lets you integrate new cloud connections in the graphical user interface or update or delete existing connections.