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submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

Hi,

As the title suggests: what are alternatives to syncthing that are basically fire and forget, works on multiple device types, and just focuses on file syncing?

I've had over the months the weirdest problems with syncthing, and lately I noticed some of my photos got corrupted, which is an absolute no no for me. I use syncthing currently as a easy automatic backup of documents, photos and other files, between my PCs and my phones (they all send only to the server. Folders are not shared with other devices).

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[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago

I've not had files get corrupted, that's strange, for sure.

Some options (but it really depends on what you're trying to do):

Resilio Sync (cross-platform, battery eater on mobile, but has a useful feature - Selective Sync)

FolderSync on Android (can also be battery intense)

Native tools and scheduling on Linux and Windows.

Maybe a review of the setup is in order, what your devices are, what you're trying to do. Sync may not be the tool for what you're trying to do.

I use a combination of tools for different jobs and devices.

Generally, all files on mobile are synced to home using Syncthing-Fork. For example, on Android I have a sync job("folder") in ST for every root folder on the device. These get synced to home depending on conditions (e.g. DCIM syncs over any network, any power condition, so I don't lose photos, while Backups and Download only sync on power over wifi, since they're big and not critical).

Between desktop OS's I largely use OS-specific tools, because I don't really need sync there, but file copy and comparison on a schedule.

After 10 years and probably 1TB+ of sync, I haven't lost any files via ST. Currently have 5 phones running jobs back to a server. I've even moved Syncthing from one server to another with no issues. With how ST works, I think file corruption is highly unlikely - it even handles in-use files safely.

this post was submitted on 28 May 2025
92 points (96.9% liked)

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