rip — Safe, Fast, Symlink-Aware Replacement for rm

Delete files safely. Restore instantly. Never follow symlinks by mistake.

Why Rust?

rip is implemented in Rust for multiple key reasons:

• Speed: Compiled Rust binaries run extremely fast, ideal for CLI tools.
• Memory Safety: Rust prevents common bugs like use-after-free or double-free.
• Tiny Static Binaries: No runtime dependencies; portable across Linux and macOS.
• Reliability: Perfect for system utilities managing critical files, folders, and symlinks.

Rust allows us to combine safety, performance, and robustness, solving problems that are tricky in shell scripts or Python-based tools.

Challenges in Linux

Deleting files in Linux seems trivial, but there are multiple edge cases:

1. Cross-Device Moves: mv fails with EXDEV when moving files between filesystems (like external drives or network mounts).

   • Solution in rip: Automatically copy + delete when cross-device moves occur.

2. Symlink Safety: Traditional rm can follow symlinks accidentally, deleting unintended files.

   • Solution in rip: Uses symlink_metadata() to detect symlinks, deletes only the link itself, handles broken links gracefully.

3. Safe Restore: Restoring files can conflict with existing paths.

   • Solution in rip: Auto-renames restored files to avoid overwrites.

4. Persistent Auto-Cleanup: Existing trash utilities rarely support policies like deleting after N days or asking before cleanup.

   • Solution in rip: Provides configurable policies (ask, never, 30d) for automated management.

Features

• 100% Freedesktop Trash compliant (Nautilus, Dolphin, Thunar).
• Symlink-safe: never deletes the target; handles broken symlinks.
• Cross-device aware: automatically moves files across filesystems.
• Smart restore: renames files to avoid conflicts.
• Persistent auto-cleanup policies.
• Tiny binary (~1.5 MB) with zero runtime dependencies.

Flowchart: File Deletion Process

flowchart TD
    A[User runs rip <file>] --> B{Is file a symlink?}
    B -->|Yes| C[Move symlink itself to Trash]
    B -->|No| D{Is file on same filesystem?}
    D -->|Yes| E[Move file to Trash directory]
    D -->|No| F[Copy file to Trash then delete original]
    C --> G[Update metadata and NanoID]
    E --> G
    F --> G
    G --> H[Done]

Installation

From crates.io

cargo install rip

From source

git clone https://github.com/faridhassani95/rip.git
cd rip
cargo build --release
sudo cp target/release/rip /usr/local/bin/

Optional Safety Alias

echo "alias rm='rip'" >> ~/.bashrc   # or ~/.zshrc
source ~/.bashrc

Usage

rip file.txt folder/ symlink      # Move to trash
rip --list                        # List trashed items
rip --restore 1                   # Restore newest item
rip --empty                        # Permanently empty trash
rip --keep 30d                     # Auto-delete items older than 30 days
rip --keep ask                     # Ask before cleaning old items
rip --keep never                   # Disable auto-clean
rip --keep                         # Show current policy

Comparison with Other Trash Tools

Verdict: rip is the only CLI trash tool combining Rust speed, symlink safety, cross-device support, and persistent auto-cleanup policies.

License

MIT © Farid

Built with ❤️ and 🦀 — stop deleting, start ripping.