How to set up Syncthing

Keep folders in sync across all your devices. This guide covers how to access it, log in for the first time, configure the basics, and where its data lives so you can back it up.

1. What is Syncthing?

Continuous, encrypted, peer-to-peer file synchronization between your SparkBox, computers, and phones. No cloud in the middle - your files travel directly between your own devices, even when you're away from home.

2. How to access it

Once it's enabled, Syncthing runs on your SparkBox at:

http://<your-NAS-IP>:8384

Pair devices by ID under Actions → Show ID; keep synced folders under /data so they land on your storage pool

3. First login

No preset password - and this one matters: open the web UI, go to Actions then Settings then GUI, and set a GUI user and password right away (Syncthing shows a red warning banner until you do). SparkBox can't pre-seed this credential because Syncthing only accepts it through its own UI/API, not at install time. The UI is only reachable from your LAN until you set up remote access.

If it instead asks for a password you didn't set, check Settings → Passwords in your SparkBox dashboard — every auto-generated credential is listed there.

4. Tips

• Install the Syncthing app on your other devices (official on Android/Windows/Mac/Linux; on iPhone use the third-party Möbius Sync) and pair them by device ID
• Synced folders live under /data inside the container - that's the syncthing/ folder on your storage pool
• Sync is NOT backup: a file deleted on one device is deleted everywhere. Enable File Versioning on the SparkBox side to keep old copies

5. Where your data lives

Syncthing's config and persistent data are stored on the SparkBox host under:

/opt/sparkbox/modules/syncthing/config/

Backups via the SparkBox dashboard's Backup tile include this directory by default, so a single restore brings Syncthing back to its current state on a fresh install.

6. Pair your first device

Install Syncthing on the other device (syncthing.net for Windows/Mac/Linux, the official Syncthing app on Android, or the third-party Möbius Sync on iPhone - there is no official iOS app, that's an upstream reality, not a SparkBox gap). In the SparkBox Syncthing web UI click Actions, then Show ID, and on the other device choose Add Remote Device and paste it - or just have both devices on the same network and they'll usually spot each other and offer to connect. Accept the pairing on BOTH sides; the first time, Syncthing on your SparkBox shows a notification asking you to confirm the new device.

7. Share a folder

On the device with the files, pick (or add) a folder, open its settings, go to Sharing, and tick your SparkBox. The SparkBox web UI then pops a notification asking where to put it - accept, and set the path to a subfolder of /data (for example /data/laptop-documents) so it lands on your storage pool. From then on, every change syncs automatically in both directions while both devices are online.

8. Sync is not backup (read this once)

If you delete or corrupt a file on your laptop, Syncthing faithfully deletes or corrupts it on your SparkBox too - that's what sync means. Two protections worth turning on: in the folder's settings on the SparkBox side, enable File Versioning (Staggered, with a sensible age limit) so deleted and changed files keep old copies; and if you also run the Backups module, your synced folders under /data are included in what it can back up off-site.

Next steps