Syncthing is an open-source program that keeps folders identical across your own devices in real time, with no cloud service in the middle. Files move directly over encrypted connections, and only devices you explicitly approve are allowed to connect.
Syncthing is continuous file synchronization software that keeps two or more computers holding the same files without a central service. Install it, open the browser interface, and it presents a device ID; the other machine adds that ID, and both sides confirm a folder to share. From then on, changes propagate as they happen, whether the devices are on the same network or at opposite ends of the internet. Transfers are encrypted, every device carries a cryptographic certificate, and only machines you authorise can connect. Versioning, ignore rules, and per-folder modes give control over what moves and what happens to old copies.
Privacy is architectural rather than a setting. There is no account to create and no server holding your data, because the only copies that exist are the ones on your own disks. Connections use TLS with perfect forward secrecy, and a device that has not been approved simply cannot open a session. The protocol is publicly documented and the source code is open, so the security claims can be checked rather than trusted. For a machine you do not fully control, such as a rented server, a folder can be shared with an untrusted device, which stores only encrypted data the host cannot read. People who prefer folder-level jobs with a scheduling and reporting interface may find GoodSync fits their workflow better.
What Syncthing removes is the question of where the master copy lives. Every participating device holds a full copy, so losing a laptop does not lose the data, and editing on the train is reflected on the desktop by the time you sit down. There is no subscription, no storage quota, and nothing to migrate if a provider changes its terms, because the storage is hardware you already own. Synchronisation is bidirectional by default but can be restricted: a folder can be set to send only for a backup target or receive only for a machine that should never push changes outward. Bandwidth limits keep a large sync from saturating a home connection, and the file watcher notices edits within seconds rather than waiting for the next scan. Conflict copies preserve both versions when a genuine clash occurs.
Key capabilities and highlights.
Devices talk to each other rather than to a server, using TLS with perfect forward secrecy. On a local network they find each other automatically; across the internet they can use global discovery, a relay, or a fixed address.
Syncthing identifies every machine by a certificate-derived ID instead of an account, and a connection is refused unless that ID has been approved on both sides. Adding a device means exchanging IDs once, after which pairing is permanent.
Each folder can be shared with any subset of devices and set to send and receive, send only, or receive only. That makes it easy to treat a server as a backup sink while still syncing between two laptops.
A device can be marked untrusted, in which case only encrypted data is sent to it. That suits rented servers and shared NAS boxes, where the hardware is not fully under your control but the storage is still useful.
Older versions of overwritten files can be kept in a trash folder, in simple numbered copies, or in staggered sets that thin out over time. Each folder chooses its own scheme, so volatile working directories and archival folders can be treated differently.
A pattern file excludes files and folders from synchronisation by name, extension, or path, which keeps build artefacts, caches, and temporary documents from propagating. Patterns can be applied globally or scoped to a single shared folder.
Configuration and monitoring happen in a responsive browser interface, with no desktop client required on a headless machine. A command-line helper and a documented REST API allow scripting, status checks, and integration with external monitoring tools.
Rate limits can be applied globally or per device, so a large initial sync does not swamp a working connection. When the same file changes in two places at once, Syncthing stores the losing version as a conflict copy.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
Common questions about Syncthing.
It is open-source software that keeps folders synchronized between your own devices in real time. There is no central server or account, and files travel directly between machines over encrypted connections.
No. Syncthing has no accounts and does not store anything on a third-party service, because the only copies are the ones on the participating devices. Setup begins by exchanging device IDs rather than signing in somewhere.
Yes. All communication uses TLS with perfect forward secrecy, and every device is identified by a cryptographic certificate that the other side must have approved. Devices that have not been approved cannot establish a connection.
Yes. Marking a device as untrusted means only encrypted data is sent to it, so the host stores content it cannot read. That is a common arrangement for a remote backup server or a shared NAS.
Syncthing detects the clash and keeps one version as the current file while saving the other as a conflict copy, so nothing is silently destroyed. Both files remain available and can be merged at your leisure.
Yes, devices on the same local network synchronize directly whether or not the internet is reachable. Internet-based discovery and relays are only needed when the machines are not on the same network.
Syncthing is an open-source program that keeps folders identical across your own devices in real time, with no cloud service in the middle. Files move directly over encrypted connections, and only devices you explicitly approve are allowed to connect.
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