Delete Mode

The --delete option removes files from the remote synchronization scope when those files no longer exist in the source.

Because this operation can remove data, use it deliberately.

Basic Usage

hostnextra sync push ./build \
    --to web-prod-01:/var/www \
    --delete

If a file exists in /var/www but no longer exists in ./build, it can be removed from the remote synchronization scope.

Synchronization Scope

Deletion is limited to the directory being synchronized.

Files and directories outside that synchronization scope are not candidates for deletion.

For example:

hostnextra sync push ./build \
    --to web-prod-01:/var/www \
    --delete

The deletion scope is:

/var/www

It does not apply to unrelated directories elsewhere on the server.

Directory Only

--delete can only be used when synchronizing a directory.

It is intentionally rejected for individual files.

For example:

hostnextra sync push ./file.txt \
    --to web-prod-01:/var/www \
    --delete

This prevents ambiguous file-level deletion behavior.

Confirmation

HostnExtra Sync requires explicit confirmation before performing a non-dry-run delete operation.

Use a Dry Run First

Before using --delete on an important directory, perform a dry run:

hostnextra sync push ./build \
    --to web-prod-01:/var/www \
    --delete \
    --dry-run

Review the planned changes before running the synchronization without --dry-run.

Recommended Workflow

For important deployments, use:

hostnextra sync push ./build \
    --to web-prod-01:/var/www \
    --delete \
    --dry-run

After reviewing the result:

hostnextra sync push ./build \
    --to web-prod-01:/var/www \
    --delete