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Syncthing

Syncthing is a continuous, decentralized peer-to-peer file synchronization tool that replicates folders directly between your own devices over an encrypted connection, with no central server or cloud in the middle.

Target: Debian/Ubuntu Linux (also Windows, MacOS, BSD)File SyncOfficial homepage ↗Official docs ↗
This guide is synthesized from Syncthing's own official documentation, linked above — always cross-check exact package/version names there before running these commands on a production server, since distro and project versions move over time.

  1. 1Add the official APT repository (Debian/Ubuntu)

    sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
    sudo curl -L -o /etc/apt/keyrings/syncthing-archive-keyring.gpg https://syncthing.net/release-key.gpg
    echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/syncthing-archive-keyring.gpg] https://apt.syncthing.net/ syncthing stable-v2" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/syncthing.list
    sudo apt-get update

    stable-v2 tracks the monthly stable releases; use 'candidate' instead for release candidates.

  2. 2Install Syncthing

    sudo apt-get install syncthing

  3. 3Run Syncthing

    Run it directly, or as a persistent per-user systemd service.

    systemctl --user enable --now syncthing.service

  4. 4Access the web GUI

    On first launch Syncthing generates its config, encryption keys, and TLS certificate, then opens its admin GUI.

    The GUI is at http://localhost:8384/ and binds to localhost only by default; your browser must accept cookies for it to work.