How to use the command syncthing (with examples)

Syncthing is a continuous bidirectional decentralized folder synchronization tool. It allows users to sync files and folders between multiple devices in a secure and efficient manner. This article will illustrate different use cases of the syncthing command.

Use case 1: Start Syncthing

Code:

syncthing

Motivation: This command is used to start the Syncthing application.

Explanation: Running syncthing without any additional arguments will start the Syncthing application, which will then synchronize the configured folders between the devices.

Example output:

[syncthing] 11:25:14 INFO: syncthing v1.18.2 "Fermium Flea" (go1.17 linux-amd64) deb@build.syncthing.net 2021-12-01 06:47:42 UTC [noupgrade]
[syncthing] 11:25:14 INFO: My ID: ABCDEFG-HIJKLMN-OPQRSTU-VWXYZAB-CDEFGHI-JKLMNOP-QRSTUVW
[syncthing] 11:25:14 INFO: Single thread SHA256 performance is 225 MB/s using minio/sha256-simd (247 MB/s using crypto/sha256).
[syncthing] 11:25:14 INFO: Hashing performance is 191.72 MB/s
[syncthing] 11:25:14 INFO: Ready to synchronize "Folder Name" (folder-id) (sendreceive)

Use case 2: Start Syncthing without opening a web browser

Code:

syncthing -no-browser

Motivation: This command is useful when you want to start Syncthing without automatically opening a web browser.

Explanation: Adding the -no-browser flag to the syncthing command will prevent the application from automatically opening a web browser after it starts.

Example output: The Syncthing application starts without opening a web browser.

Use case 3: Print the device ID

Code:

syncthing -device-id

Motivation: This command helps to identify the device ID associated with Syncthing.

Explanation: By using the -device-id flag with the syncthing command, you can print the device ID. The device ID is a unique identifier for each device running Syncthing.

Example output:

My device ID: ABCDEFG-HIJKLMN-OPQRSTU-VWXYZAB-CDEFGHI-JKLMNOP-QRSTUVW

Use case 4: Change the home directory

Code:

syncthing -home=/path/to/directory

Motivation: This command allows you to specify a custom directory as the home directory for Syncthing.

Explanation: The -home flag is used to change the default home directory for Syncthing. By specifying the desired directory path after the flag, Syncthing will use that directory as the home directory.

Example output: The home directory for Syncthing is changed to /path/to/directory.

Use case 5: Force a full index exchange

Code:

syncthing -reset-deltas

Motivation: This command is helpful when you want to force a full index exchange between the devices.

Explanation: Adding the -reset-deltas flag to the syncthing command will cause a full index exchange to occur between the devices. This can be useful in situations where there are inconsistencies or conflicts in the synchronization process.

Example output: The full index exchange is initiated and the synchronization process starts.

Use case 6: Change the address upon which the web interface listens

Code:

syncthing -gui-address=ip_address:port|path/to/socket.sock

Motivation: This command allows you to specify the address and port number or socket file for the Syncthing web interface.

Explanation: The -gui-address flag is used to change the default address upon which the Syncthing web interface listens. You can specify either an IP address and port number or a path to a Unix domain socket file.

Example output: The Syncthing web interface starts listening on 192.168.0.1:8384 for incoming connections.

Use case 7: Show filepaths to the files used by Syncthing

Code:

syncthing -paths

Motivation: This command is useful when you need to know the file paths used by Syncthing.

Explanation: By using the -paths flag with the syncthing command, you can display the file paths to the files used by Syncthing. This includes the configuration file, database file, and log file.

Example output:

Configuration file path: /home/user/.config/syncthing/config.xml
Database file path: /home/user/.config/syncthing/index-v0.14.0.db
Log file path: /home/user/.local/syncthing/syncthing.log

Use case 8: Disable the Syncthing monitor process

Code:

syncthing -no-restart

Motivation: This command allows you to disable the Syncthing monitor process.

Explanation: Adding the -no-restart flag to the syncthing command will prevent Syncthing from automatically restarting when it encounters errors or crashes.

Example output: The Syncthing monitor process is disabled.

Conclusion:

In this article, we have explored various use cases of the syncthing command. From starting the application to configuring various settings, these examples provide a comprehensive understanding of how to effectively use Syncthing for continuous bidirectional decentralized folder synchronization.