

The big difference between Unison and Rsync is that Rsync is only unidirectional-i.e., syncs files one-way, from a source to a target system. Unison is a bit like a bidirectional version of Rsync that handles some level of version control. The Unison FAQ recommends keeping the same software versions on all replicas. from Unix to Windows) but according to the Unison Readme each system must include an OCaml compiler. Unison is cross platform and you can backup & sync files between different operating systems (e.g.
Freefilesync alternative linux install#
You can install a graphical user interface or drive Unison from the command line. Unison runs on a variety of Unix-like operating systems (Linux, macOS/macOS X, Solaris, FreeBSD, et al) and Microsoft Windows. This is by no means real-time nor scalable, but may suffice for basic file backup use cases. Each spoke pairs with the hub thus, changes are only propagated between the hub and the one spoke. Unison also works in client-server, hub-and-spoke topology for backup & sync. In situations where Unison detects a conflict (e.g., when two users are updating the same file) it must be resolved manually. In Unison vernacular, each system is known as a replica. What’s different from other file synchronization tools like Rsync is that Unison is truly bidirectional: Users may create or change files and directories on either system.

Unison provides bidirectional (two-way) file synchronization software. Like sound coming together from two speakers, Unison does a solid job synchronizing smaller files and directories between (at most) 2 systems. Hidden in the back pockets of a few savvy system administrators is a free, mature, and open source file synchronization tool called Unison.
