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File sync solutions with a specific trait (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I'm basically looking for something like Seafile, that behaves similarly to Dropbox and Google Drive but doesn't sync EVERYTHING to each client. This is incredibly useful as my laptop (macbook pro) only has 256GBs of storage, but often I'll use Seafile to grab files from my Windows 10 PC or phone. I've messed with Syncthing and it works wonderfully, but it wants to sync the whole directory to every endpoint.

The downfall to Seafile is that it chunks your data which allows for version control and the speed at which it works. Which can then be problematic to back that data up. I have a somewhat inelegant workaround which is pointing backup software at the mounted SeaDrive folder and it seems to work.

My question is: Is there something in between that I'm not considering? Something fast like Seafile, but with "selective sync" but preferably syncs the files whole like syncthing?

NOTE: I tried Nextcloud and for my hardware, it runs terribly. So that is out for me. And honestly its too much app for what I need.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

It's quite a beast but I use git-annex for all my file storage and synchronisation purposes.

You can select precisely which files you want to keep in which machine.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Genuine question: is there a reason why Syncthing's ignore function doesn't work for you? Because that's what I would suggest, but it seems you're already aware of it.

ETA: Maybe Resilio Sync might work for you? It touts selective sync. Since it's based on the BitTorrent protocol, it might also chunk data, but it's worth checking out.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I wasn't aware that was an option, honestly. I shall investigate.

Funny that you mention Resilio, I literally came back just now to post it as a possible option. Unfortunately the selective sync is behind a paywall. $59.99 one time fee, which isn't terrible tbh. I'll have to see if they have a Pro trial after I test again with Syncthing. Thanks!

EDIT: Resilio does have a 14 day Pro trial. Messing with it now but I'm going to look at syncthing again before I commit.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Google Drive eliminated its full sync default a long time ago. Ironically, I have the opposite complaint -- I'd like some folders to be synchronized ALL the time, and some NEVER, and Google Drive no longer gives you any direct control over what gets synchronized. It's all controlled by some implacable internal algorithm with no exposed preferences.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Sounds like syncthing might be the ticket for you then. It can be a bit bewildering to set up, but once you do it works incredibly well. And you can ignore/exclude folders and files.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I use syncthing all the time. The ignore file is very powerful and you can get it to ignore whatever you want. The ignore file itself isnt synced across copies, but you can #include a file that is