Syncthing 2.0 has arrived, promising faster syncing, a new database system, and a number of major fixes and improvements. This open source program lets you sync files directly between computers in real time, keeping them private, encrypted, and fully under your control without the need for a central server.
Syncthing offers a simple promise: your files stay yours. You decide where they are stored, how they are transmitted between devices, and who gets access.
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Every connection is encrypted with TLS, and perfect forward secrecy means that even if someone manages to capture your data, they won’t be able to read it later.
Only devices you approve can join your network, making it possible to sync between laptops, desktops, and servers without relying on a third party.
Syncthing works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and several BSD systems. It has a web-based interface for setup and monitoring, and it can connect over both local networks and the internet without complicated configuration.
Sharing a folder is as simple as giving your device ID to a trusted contact. UPnP support can handle port forwarding automatically, making it accessible even for people with limited networking experience.
The biggest change in version 2.0 is the move from the LevelDB database to SQLite. This makes the database easier to manage and less likely to become corrupted. When you start version 2.0 for the first time, the program will automatically convert your existing data, although large setups may take longer.
Logging has also been improved in this release. Logs now use a structured format, making them easier to filter and search. There is a new Warning level, and you can control log levels for each part of the program from the command line, environment variables, or the interface. The Info level now shows more detail about syncing actions.
Syncthing housekeeping
Some older features have been simplified in version 2.0. The default folder no longer appears automatically and rolling hash detection has been removed to speed up scanning.
Devices running 2.0 now use three separate connections — one for metadata and two for file transfers — to make syncing faster.
Command line options have been updated, with some reorganized into subcommands, and long options now use a double dash.
There are a few changes that may negatively affect certain users. Prebuilt versions are no longer provided for some platforms, such as dragonfly/amd64, illumos/amd64, linux/ppc64, netbsd, openbsd/386, openbsd/arm, and windows/arm, due to the complexity of building with SQLite. Users on these systems will need to compile from source. Also, deleted files are now forgotten after six months by default, although you can change this setting.
New features include Ed25519 keys for secure connections, bandwidth limits for local network transfers, UDP port mapping for QUIC connections, and new debugging tools.
You can now also monitor folder and device metrics to better understand how your setup is performing. Many bugs have been fixed in this release, improving stability and memory efficiency.
Syncthing remains fully open in both code and development. The developers are keen to stress that there are no hidden servers, no closed components, and no data collection.
Version 2.0 is available through the project’s APT repository, as Docker images, and on GitHub.
What do you think about Syncthing 2.0? Let us know in the comments.
Image Credit: Dark1elf / Dreamstime.com
