How to create a checksum of all files in a folder recursively to verify a backup?

exerceo · 02-20-2024, 06:44 PM

After backing up a folder, I would like to verify the integrity of the backup.

Is there a way to create a total checksum of all files?

Something like:

Code:

cat file1 file2 file3 |md5sum

Except with thousands of files in many subdirectories.

A similar solution would be:

Code:

find |xargs md5sum |md5sum

However, this would lead to problems with file names containing spaces, and the "find" command infamously excludes hidden files and folders (starting with a dot) unless manually specified.

RandomTroll · 02-20-2024, 08:09 PM

I use

Code:

 md5sum * >> /root/md5sums

then check each file. I suppose you could do an md5sum on /root/md5sums to get a single number

MadeInGermany · 02-21-2024, 02:01 AM

Code:

find . -type f -exec cat {} + | md5sum

The

Code:

find . -type f | xargs md5sum

splits at whitespace. Use \0-terminated lines

Code:

find . -type f -print0 | xargs -0 md5sum

or use find -exec with a +

Code:

find . -type f -exec md5sum {} +

pan64 · 02-21-2024, 02:24 AM

it depends on the tool you use. For example rsync will do that validation for you, don't need to check it manually.