How I Tackled Cross-Cloud Data Migration Using rclone
Working at a startup that's transitioning from offline to online has been quite the ride. Until recently, our company operated entirely offline, yet they still managed to pull in decent revenue. But now, with the online market beckoning, it was time to expand the horizons. It’s my first job, and like anyone new to the game, I’ve had my fair share of learning experiences, sometimes through mistakes. This time, it was all about rclone.
The Mistake: A Rookie Oversight
So, here’s the backstory: our startup had been operating offline like it was the 1990s—think on paper records and all. But with everyone and their grandma shopping online, the founders finally decided it was time to join the digital age. That’s when me and my friend/classmate came on board, eager and ready to help build our first eCommerce platform from scratch.
It was just me and a friend on the team, and we had a lot to cover: an inventory system, delivery updates, an inquiry handler, and a REST API for backend services. We managed to put together the first draft in about four weeks, and the founders loved it. They were all, “Great job! Let’s get this online ASAP!” That’s when we decided to go all in—buy the domain, set up official accounts on necessary cloud services, and deploy everything.
During the draft phase, I used my personal Cloudflare R2 bucket for managing and storing image data. We hadn't set up the official accounts yet, so it was a temporary solution—or so I thought. After getting everything set up with our official accounts, I completely forgot to switch over from my personal Cloudflare R2 bucket. All the images and data were still being uploaded to my personal account.
And here’s where things got a bit stressful. This wasn’t just some hobby project or a small dataset that I could handle without worrying about anything. We’re talking about our startup’s official eCommerce platform with real data and real stakes. Cue the mild panic!
Migrating the database was straightforward; I just dumped the data and restored it on the new account. But when it came to the images on Cloudflare R2, things got tricky.
The Challenge: Migrating Image Data
I thought I could find a simple solution by digging through the Cloudflare documentation, but no luck. The docs were great for some things, but they didn’t cover exactly what I needed. Downloading the data directly wasn’t an option; the objects could only be downloaded one at a time, which wasn’t feasible for a large dataset.
Now, picture this: me, sitting at my desk, sipping my fifth cup of coffee, staring at the screen, and contemplating my life choices—just kidding, but not really. I started asking around and doing some browser searches, and that’s when I stumbled upon rclone. A few people mentioned it as a tool that could sync data between different cloud accounts, and I figured it was worth a shot.
What is Rclone?
Before I dive into the story, let me give you a quick rundown of rclone. It’s a command-line program that allows you to manage files on cloud storage. Think of it as the Swiss Army knife of cloud storage management, with support for over 40 different cloud storage providers. Rclone can do everything from syncing files across accounts to encrypting your data, making it an invaluable tool in any developer's arsenal.
How Rclone Saved the Day
Here’s how rclone turned a potentially massive problem into a simple task:
So, you’ve got your data spread across different accounts, and you’re thinking, "Why can’t this be as simple as dragging and dropping files?" Well, with `rclone`, it almost is! Here’s how you can do it:
1. Install `rclone` (If you haven’t already)
First things first, you need to install `rclone` . You can do this easily by running the following command:
curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash
Now, let’s make `rclone` a little smarter by telling it where to look.
rclone config
- Choose `n` for a new remote.
- Select `s3` as the storage type.
- Enter your credentials (Access Key ID, Secret Access Key) for Account 1.
- Set the endpoint: `https://<account_id>.r2.cloudflarestorage.com` .
- Name it something creative, like `r2_account1` (because who doesn’t love an obvious name?).
3. Configure `rclone` for Account 2
Repeat the process, but this time, use the credentials for Account 2.
rclone config
- Again, choose `n` for a new remote.
- Select `s3` and enter Account 2’s credentials.
- Name it `r2_account2` (keeping it consistent!).
4. Sync, Copy, or Move—Choose Your Adventure
Here’s where the fun begins. Depending on your needs, you can use one of these commands:
A. Sync it!
If you want to make sure both buckets are identical twins:
rclone sync r2_account1:<bucket_name> r2_account2:<bucket_name> --progress
# '--progess' The overall progress,speed and estimated time remaining of entire transfer process.
`rclone sync` —it ensures that only what’s necessary stays, and the rest is politely removed. It’s perfect for when you want the destination to look exactly like the source.
B. Copy it!
For those who like to keep everything, even the clutter:
rclone copy r2_account1:<bucket_name> r2_account2:<bucket_name> --progress
# '--progess' The overall progress,speed and estimated time remaining of the entire transfer operation.q
`rclone copy` does exactly what it says—copies everything from the source to the destination. No files are harmed in this process.
C. Move it!
When you’re done with the old place and moving to a new bucket:
rclone move r2_account1:<bucket_name> r2_account2:<bucket_name> --progress
# '--progess' The overall progress,speed and estimated time remaining of the entire transfer operation.
`rclone move` is like moving out of your old apartment—you take everything with you and leave the place empty.
5. Verify the Transfer
Let’s make sure everything went smoothly:
rclone ls r2_account2:<bucket_name>
And that’s it! You’ve successfully moved your data between two accounts.
The Real Takeaway
So, there you have it—a simple mistake, a quick fix with rclone, and a dramatic title to make it sound like I almost brought our startup to its knees. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, it was a small hiccup. But for someone like me, new to the field and navigating high-stakes projects, it felt like a big deal. The real takeaway here is the thrill of diving into unexpected situations and coming out stronger on the other side.
It’s not just about the tools you use but about how you handle the chaos that comes your way. And while the clickbait title might make it sound like I narrowly avoided disaster, it was really just a great learning experience. So here’s to embracing the chaos, making mistakes, and coming out the other side with a few more lessons learned and a story to tell!