rclone
Command-line tool that copies, syncs and manages files across many cloud storage providers.
- Stars
- 60.7k
- Forks
- 5.6k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Go
- Last update
- 5 days ago
- Type
- CLI
What it is
Rclone is a command-line program for syncing files and directories to and from many cloud storage providers, described in the README as "rsync for cloud storage." The README lists a very large set of supported providers, including Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, Backblaze B2, OneDrive, and Azure Blob Storage, plus SFTP, FTP, and WebDAV. People use it to move, back up, or mirror files between storage services without writing custom code for each one.
- Sync a local folder to an S3 or B2 bucket
- Copy files from one cloud provider to another
- Mount or sync Google Drive or Dropbox contents to a local directory
- Schedule regular backups of files to remote storage
Great for
- People comfortable using a terminal who need to move files between cloud providers
- Admins backing up or mirroring data to object storage such as S3 or B2
- Users who want one tool that works across many different storage services
- Developers scripting recurring file transfers or backups
Not ideal for
- People who want a point-and-click desktop sync app, since the README describes a command-line program
- Users who only need a single provider's official sync client
- Anyone unwilling to read configuration docs before first use
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/rclone/rclone.git - 2
Run it
- Download a prebuilt binary for your system from the official downloads page or the latest release
- Run rclone config to create a remote for your storage provider
- Test the connection by listing a remote's contents
- Run a copy or sync command between a local folder and the remote
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the provider-specific documentation pages linked from the README for setup details
- Check the project's documentation for filtering and dry-run options before running sync commands on important data
- Use the Docker image listed in the README badges if you prefer containers
Downloads
Strengths
- Supports a very wide range of storage providers under one tool
- Written in Go and distributed as a single program for many operating systems, per the release assets
- Open source under the MIT license with an active project, as shown by recent pushes and a large community
Trade-offs
- Command-line only in the README, so there is a learning curve for non-technical users
- Each provider has its own setup and options, which the README links to separately in its documentation
- Full behavior and options are spread across the external documentation site rather than the README
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rclone (this) | 60.7k | CLI | intermediate | 5 days ago | People comfortable using a terminal who need to move files between cloud providers |
| electerm | 15.5k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers and sysadmins who manage several remote servers and want one client for them |
| cli | 46.8k | CLI | beginner | 6 days ago | Developers who already work in the terminal and use GitHub daily |
| telegraf | 17.9k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Engineers setting up server or system monitoring |
| chisel | 16.7k | CLI | intermediate | 26 days ago | Developers who need to reach a service on a private machine from outside its network |
| yq | 16.2k | CLI | beginner | 8 days ago | Developers who regularly edit YAML config files in scripts or CI pipelines |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.