Linux Directory Comparison: 3 Commands to Verify Folders

Question: I rsync'd two folders. How do I verify they truly match?

Try: diff -rq /source /destination

Info: Recursively compares directories and reports differing files or unique items without printing full diff contents.

Examples:

• $ diff -rq /a /b | grep -v '^Only'  # Compare file contents only, ignoring missing files
• $ rsync -avnc --delete src/ dst/  # Perform a dry-run sync preview to check discrepancies
• $ find /src /dst -type f -exec md5sum {} + | sort | uniq -w32 -u  # Strict cryptographic checksum comparison

Note: diff -q is fast because it compares file sizes and timestamps before reading content. For rigorous verification, use rsync -c (checksum-based) or a file hash pipe.