The rsync manual describes --dry-run, also written -n, as a trial run without changes. Combined with --itemize-changes, it helps show the updates a chosen invocation would make. That is useful for reviewing a transfer plan, but it does not demonstrate that file data has actually been copied or can be restored.

Check the source path carefully. A trailing slash on a source directory means copying its contents rather than adding the directory by name. This can change the destination layout. Read the planned paths before interpreting a reassuring summary; a successful preview of the wrong directory is still the wrong plan.

The manual expects itemized output to match a subsequent real run, barring external source or destination changes and system-call failures. Files can change between runs, and a preview cannot prove that a later write will succeed. It also does not measure real transfer throughput. Keep the options and paths explicit, and review any deletion options separately.

Verdict: use dry-run as a planning checkpoint, then require a separate verification and restore exercise for any backup workflow. Start with disposable source and destination directories when learning. This documentation review performs no transfer, enables no deletion and gives rsync no hands-on reliability or performance score.