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+#+title: Syncthing: A Minimal Self-Hosted Cloud Storage Solution
+#+date: 2022-10-04
+#+description: An overview of how you can use Syncthing as a minimal alternative to cloud storage.
+#+filetags: :selfhosting:
+
+* 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 syncthing@username.service
+sudo systemctl restart syncthing@username.service
+sudo systemctl stop syncthing@username.service
+#+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 admin 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
+[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20221020-syncthing/syncthing_gui.png]]
+
+** 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 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 ~100GB 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.