Backup & Recovery (Rsync/Tar/Dd)

Incremental Backups with Rsync Link Destinations

🧩 The Challenge

Performing full backups frequently consumes excessive storage space and increases network I/O during routine maintenance tasks.

💡 The Fix

Use the link-dest flag to create incremental backups that hard-link identical files from previous snapshots instead of duplicating data.

rsync -aP --link-dest=/backups/yesterday /source/directory/ /backups/today/

⚙️ Why It Works

By comparing the current directory to a previous backup, rsync only copies new or changed files, while using hard links for existing identical files to save disk space.

🚀 Pro-Tip: Combine this with the –delete flag in your next sync cycle to ensure your backup directory strictly matches the current state of the source.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 7/6/2026