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#+date: [2022-10-04 Tue 00:00:00]
#+title: Self-Hosting Guide: Syncthing
#+description: How to set up Syncthing for private, peer-to-peer file sync.
#+slug: syncthing
#+filetags: :linux:self-hosting:
* An Overview of Syncthing
If you've been looking around the self-hosted cloud storage space for a while,
you've undoubtedly run into someone suggesting [[https://syncthing.net][Syncthing]] as an option. However,
it is an unusual alternative for those users out there who are used to having a
centralized cloud server that serves as the "controller" of the data and
interacts with clients on devices to fetch files.
This post is a walkthrough of the Syncthing software, how I set up my personal
storage, and some pros and cons of using the software.
* Installing Syncthing
To install Syncthing, visit the [[https://syncthing.net/downloads/][Downloads]] page or install via your device's
package manager.
** Server & Desktop
You can install Syncthing on servers and desktops via the Downloads page linked
above or via the command-line.
For Debian-based distros:
#+begin_src sh
sudo apt install syncthing
#+end_src
For Fedora-based distros:
#+begin_src sh
sudo dnf install syncthing
#+end_src
** Mobile
Syncthing for Android is available on [[https://f-droid.org/packages/com.nutomic.syncthingandroid/][F-Droid]] and [[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nutomic.syncthingandroid][Google Play]]. Syncthing does
not have an official iOS client, but there is a third-party client called [[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/m%C3%B6bius-sync/id1539203216][Möbius
Sync]].
* How Does Syncthing Work?
To start, I wanted to include the main marketing blurb from their website:
#+begin_quote
Syncthing is a continuous file synchronization program. It synchronizes
files between two or more computers in real time, safely protected from
prying eyes. Your data is your data alone, and you deserve to choose
where it is stored, whether it is shared with some third party, and how
it's transmitted over the internet.
#+end_quote
Let's break this apart and add in some other details to help explain what
exactly Syncthing does in order to sync files between devices.
** Local Syncthing Server(s)
Syncthing syncs files between multiple devices by creating a local server on
each device. These local servers handle a few different things, such as watching
files and directories for changes, hosting an administrative GUI website, and
authenticating with connected devices.
You can also start, stop, and restart the Syncthing server via the command-line
or web dashboard. If you're running Syncthing on a device with =systemd=, you
can use the following commands:
#+begin_src sh
sudo systemctl start [email protected]
sudo systemctl restart [email protected]
sudo systemctl stop [email protected]
#+end_src
** Syncthing Dashboard
This biggest part of Syncthing is the admin GUI website that runs on each device
(note that mobile devices will use the Syncthing app rather than the web GUI).
The administrative graphical user interface (GUI) is available through the web
browser on the local device that is running Syncthing - simply go to
=http://localhost:8384= or =http://127.0.0.1:8384=. This web page is the place
where you will change settings, add/modify synced files, and add/modify
connected devices.
Here's an example web GUI dashboard:
#+caption: Syncthing Dashboard
#+attr_html: :alt Syncthing web page on macOS, showing folders, device info, and remote devices.
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20221020-syncthing/syncthing_gui.webp]]
** Remote Devices
A cloud storage solution wouldn't be very useful if you aren't able to share
data among various devices. Syncthing does this by sharing Device IDs to connect
servers, and then by manually sharing Folders with devices that have been
connected.
For instance, if you have a laptop running Syncthing and then install the
Syncthing mobile app on a phone, you could scan the laptop's QR (quick-response)
code for Device ID and then accept the authentication on the laptop's dashboard.
Next, you can use either device to select a folder for sharing and dictating
which device should send, receive, or both.
When you connect devices, you can set one device as an "Introducer," which can
add devices from the introducer to the device list, for mutually shared folders.
You can also configure Auto Accept, compression, rate limits, and more settings
per device.
* My Personal Cloud Storage Set-up
Personally, I use a model similar to a traditional cloud storage service. I have
a "centralized" server running 24/7 that acts as an Introducer for my Syncthing
network. I think of this as my main storage and all other devices as tertiary
client devices. I will likely add additional servers as backups as time goes on
so that I don't have to rely on my laptop or phone as the only backups.
Currently, I have one desktop and one mobile device connected to the network,
both running intermittently as they are not powered-on 24/7.
The initial set-up of the software was easy enough, but data transfer rates were
incredibly slow for me due to the Wi-Fi. Instead, I plugged my laptop into the
ethernet network that my server is on and manually copied my folders over to the
server with =scp=. Once complete, Syncthing validated that all files were there
and not missing, and it did not need to transfer any data through the WAN.
As slow as the transfer was going, this probably saved me a few days of waiting
for my ~100 gigabytes to sync.
* Pros & Cons
I've put together a short list of pros and cons for Syncthing. I thought about
my experiences with Nextcloud, WebDAV, proprietary services (Google Drive,
iCloud, etc.), and privacy-focused cloud solutions (pCloud, Tresorit, etc.).
*Pros:*
- I've faced no data loss at all through my two-month trial run.
- No third-parties store your data on their servers.
- You have full control over your data and can take your data and leave at any
time.
- It's possible to encrypt client-side easily with software like Cryptomator.
- No proprietary clients or mounted volumes, just plain files and folders.
*Cons:*
- The learning curve is steeper than traditional cloud services and is focused
on a technical audience.
- If a device needs to modify files in a Folder, the devices will need to sync
ALL files from the folder, which may be large. To avoid size restraints, split
large folders into smaller folders for syncing.
- Syncing can be slow due to the clients/servers initially connecting or
re-connecting after sleeping.
- Multiple personal devices are required and require the user to own or rent
them as no third-party servers are involved in the storage of data.
Overall, I've had a great experience with Syncthing so far. I've had no data
loss, syncing has been quick and easy when changes are made to files, device
connections are reliable, and I love the freedom of controlling the clients and
servers as I choose.
Not to mention that I appreciate that I - or someone else - could pull the
Syncthing [[https://github.com/syncthing][source code]] and continue development/support if the Syncthing
Foundation decides to stop developing the software or sells the business.
|
