Hard-Sync-CLI

Hard-Sync-CLI is a fast and lightweight command-line tool for synchronizing two directories, written in Rust. It offers powerful features, including support for dry runs, file exclusion, and reverse syncing, making it a practical solution for anyone looking to manage file syncing efficiently.

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🚀 Why Hard-Sync-CLI?

• Speed and Simplicity: Written in Rust, ensuring fast and reliable performance.
• Customization: Allows file exclusion and dry-run testing to give you full control.
• Learning Project: Built as a hands-on project to explore Rust programming while solving a real-world problem.

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📥 Installation

Install From Source

1. Prerequisites: Install Rust and Cargo (Get Rust).
2. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/hard-sync-cli.git
   cd hard-sync-cli

3. Install the tool globally:

   cargo install --path .

4. Confirm the installation:

   hsync --help

Install From Binary

Prebuilt binaries will be available on the Releases Page.

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💻 Usage

General Help

To display the help message:

hsync --help

Command: sync

The sync command synchronizes files between two directories.

Basic Usage

hsync sync --src <source_directory> --dest <destination_directory>

Options

Option	Short-Hand	Description
--src <path>	-s <path>	Source directory to sync from.
--dest <path>	-d <path>	Destination directory to sync to.
--init	-i	Initialize the destination directory for syncing.
--reverse	-r	Reverse the source and destination directories.
--dry-run	-dr	Perform a dry run to show what changes would be made without syncing files.
--exclude <...>	-e <...>	Exclude specific files or directories during sync. Supports multiple entries.

Examples

1. First-Time Sync:

   hsync sync -s /path/to/source -d /path/to/destination -i

2. Dry Run:

   hsync sync -s /path/to/source -d /path/to/destination -dr

3. Exclude Files:

   hsync sync -s /path/to/source -d /path/to/destination -e "*.tmp" "ignore-this-folder/"

4. Reverse Sync:

   hsync sync -s /path/to/source -d /path/to/destination -r

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Ignoring Files and Directories

You can specify files or directories to exclude from syncing by creating a hard_sync.ignore file in the destination directory. The syntax is the same as a .gitignore file.

Example hard_sync.ignore File:

# Ignore all .tmp files
*.tmp

# Ignore a specific folder
ignore-this-folder/

# Ignore a specific file
do-not-sync.txt

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📦 Features

• File Syncing: Sync files and directories from a source to a destination with support for initialization and reverse syncing.
• Dry Run: Preview changes without applying them.
• File Exclusion: Specify files or directories to exclude using the --exclude option or an hard_sync.ignore file.
• Metadata Initialization: Use the --init flag to set up the destination directory for syncing.
• Colorized Output: Get detailed status information with color-coded messages for errors, successes, and warnings.

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🛠️ Advanced Features

Planned Features

• Bidirectional Syncing: Synchronize changes in both directions (source ↔ destination).
• Network Support: Enable syncing over SSH or SFTP.
• Versioning: Create backups or versions of overwritten files.
• Configuration Files: Support for .toml or .json configuration files for advanced settings.

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Follow these steps to contribute:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name).
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m "Add your message").
4. Push to your fork (git push origin feature/your-feature-name).
5. Open a pull request.

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📋 To-Do

• Add dry-run functionality.
• Add file exclusion via CLI and ignore files.
• Add tests (unit and integration).
• Support bidirectional syncing.
• Improve error handling and logging.
• Provide prebuilt binaries for major platforms.
• Add support for syncing over a network.

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🎉 Thank You!

Enjoy using Hard-Sync-CLI! If you encounter any issues, feel free to open an issue on GitHub. 😊