Build a script to auto-sync folders

Here’s a simple Python script that can auto-sync two folders by copying new or changed files from a source folder to a destination folder. It uses the filecmp and shutil modules to compare and copy files, and can be run periodically or as a continuous sync if you want.

python
CopyEdit
import os
import filecmp
import shutil
import time

def sync_folders(source, destination):
    # Ensure destination folder exists
    if not os.path.exists(destination):
        os.makedirs(destination)
    
    # Compare directory contents
    comparison = filecmp.dircmp(source, destination)

    # Copy files from source to destination if missing or different
    for file_name in comparison.left_only + comparison.diff_files:
        src_file = os.path.join(source, file_name)
        dst_file = os.path.join(destination, file_name)
        if os.path.isdir(src_file):
            shutil.copytree(src_file, dst_file, dirs_exist_ok=True)
            print(f"Copied folder: {src_file} to {dst_file}")
        else:
            shutil.copy2(src_file, dst_file)
            print(f"Copied file: {src_file} to {dst_file}")
    
    # Recursively sync common subdirectories
    for common_dir in comparison.common_dirs:
        sync_folders(os.path.join(source, common_dir), os.path.join(destination, common_dir))

    # Optionally: Remove files/folders in destination not in source
    for file_name in comparison.right_only:
        dst_path = os.path.join(destination, file_name)
        if os.path.isdir(dst_path):
            shutil.rmtree(dst_path)
            print(f"Removed folder: {dst_path}")
        else:
            os.remove(dst_path)
            print(f"Removed file: {dst_path}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    source_folder = "/path/to/source"
    destination_folder = "/path/to/destination"

    # Run one time sync
    sync_folders(source_folder, destination_folder)

    # Or run continuous sync every 10 seconds (uncomment below)
    # while True:
    #     sync_folders(source_folder, destination_folder)
    #     time.sleep(10)

How it works:

• Compares source and destination folders.

• Copies new or updated files/folders from source to destination.

• Removes files/folders from destination that are no longer in source.

• Supports recursive syncing of subdirectories.

Change the source_folder and destination_folder variables to your paths and run the script. You can uncomment the loop for continuous syncing with a delay.

Let me know if you want it adapted to other languages or with extra features!