How does rsync compare to other methods for synchronizing files between servers in a PHP development environment?

When synchronizing files between servers in a PHP development environment, rsync is a popular tool due to its efficiency in transferring only the differences between files. This can save time and bandwidth compared to methods like FTP or SCP, which transfer entire files each time. By using rsync, developers can keep their development and production environments in sync more effectively.

// Example code snippet using rsync to synchronize files between servers
$source = '/path/to/source/directory';
$destination = 'user@server:/path/to/destination/directory';

exec("rsync -avz $source $destination");