redup

Redup - Duplicate File Manager

Redup is a command-line tool that allows you to find and manage duplicate files by content using checksums (SHA-256 or MD5), respecting .gitignore rules and providing safe backup options.

Features

• Recursive directory scanning
• Content-based duplicate detection using SHA-256 or MD5 checksums
• Automatic .gitignore support
• Minimum file size filtering
• Safe backup system with timestamped directories
• Dry-run mode for simulation
• JSON output format
• Interactive duplicate management
• Detailed processing statistics

Installation

Installation via go install

go install github.com/dakoctba/redup@latest

Download Binaries

Visit the releases page to download the latest version compiled for your operating system.

Usage

redup [options] [directory]

Options

Commands

Examples

# Scan current directory for duplicates
redup

# Scan specific directory with minimum size filter
redup --dir ~/Documents --min-size 1048576

# Use MD5 checksum with dry-run simulation
redup --checksum md5 --dry-run ~/Pictures

# Export results to JSON file
redup --json ~/Music > duplicates.json

# Use custom backup directory
redup --backup-dir ~/backups ~/Downloads

# Show version information
redup -v
# or
redup version

Output Behavior

Redup has different output behaviors depending on how it's used:

1. Default mode (redup):

   • Shows help information
   • No scanning performed

2. Scanning mode (redup [directory]):

   • Scans directory for duplicates
   • Shows summary of found duplicates
   • If duplicates found, starts interactive mode for management

3. JSON mode (redup --json [directory]):

   • Outputs detailed JSON with all duplicate information
   • Suitable for programmatic processing

4. Dry-run mode (redup --dry-run [directory]):

   • Simulates the scanning process
   • Shows what would be done without making changes

Gitignore Support

Redup automatically reads and respects the .gitignore file in your project directory. This means that files and directories listed in your .gitignore will be automatically excluded from scanning, including:

• node_modules/
• .env files
• Build artifacts
• Log files
• And any other patterns you've specified in your .gitignore

Backup System

When duplicates are found and you choose to manage them, Redup creates a safe backup system:

1. Timestamped backup directories: Each backup session creates a new directory with timestamp
2. Original file preservation: Original files are moved to backup, not deleted
3. Interactive selection: You choose which files to keep and which to backup
4. Safe operations: All operations are reversible through the backup system

Statistics

At the end of execution, Redup displays statistics about the processed files:

• Total number of files scanned
• Number of duplicate groups found
• Total size of duplicate files
• Number of files processed
• Backup operations performed

Return Codes

Checksum Algorithms

Redup supports two checksum algorithms:

• SHA-256 (default): More secure, slower for large files
• MD5: Faster, suitable for most duplicate detection scenarios

Interactive Mode

When duplicates are found, Redup enters an interactive mode where you can:

• View detailed information about each duplicate group
• Select which files to keep
• Choose which files to backup
• Skip groups you don't want to process
• Exit the process at any time

Developer Documentation

For information about development, compilation, and source code, see the developer documentation.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Author

• Jackson - dakoctba

Acknowledgments

• Cobra - Library for creating CLI applications in Go
• Go - Programming language