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howto-install-syncthing-on-a-linux-desktop.md

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HowTo Install Syncthing on a Linux Desktop

Let's do it!

Getting Syncthing up and running on a linux desktop is SUPER pain free.

  1. Login to your desktop as a normal user

  2. Install syncthing and firewalld and the Syncthing Tray system tray utility

sudo dnf install syncthing firewalld -y
flatpak install io.github.martchus.syncthingtray -y
  1. Configure firewalld to allow communication with the syncthing service

For more expansive info about firewalld (and fails2ban): https://github.com/taw00/howto/blob/master/howto-configure-firewalld-and-fail2ban-for-linux.md

# Turn on and enable firewalld if not already done...
sudo firewall-cmd --state
sudo systemctl start firewalld.service
sudo systemctl enable firewalld.service

# If you had custom zoning set, remember to add --zone=<yourzonelabel> to the
# configuration commands, though if the zone is configured to be the default,
# things should "just work"
sudo firewall-cmd --get-active-zones
#sudo firewall-cmd --zone=<yourzonelabel> --list-all
#sudo firewall-cmd --list-all

# allow the syncthing service, but DO NOT allow the GUI service to be exposed
# to the internet. You don't need that added exposure.
sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=syncthing --permanent
#sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=syncthing-gui --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
  1. Enable the syncthing service and start it up
syncthing --user enable syncthing.service
syncthing --user start syncthing.service

Configuration and whatnot will, by default, live in $HOME/.local/state/syncthing/

  1. Browse to http:127.0.0.1:8384 and configure your instance

Read the docs! https://docs.syncthing.net/ Once you have a set username and password and you are happy with your setup …

  1. Run the Syncthing Tray application

In your desktop interface, find the Syncthing Tray application, and run it. Select these options in the wizard that will pop up …

  • Start guided setup
  • Configure Syncthing Tray for currently running Syncthing instance
  • Next
  • Apply
  • Copy that ID somewhere (it's also in the webui)
  • Finish

Done. You should now see a little Syncthing icon in your system tray if you have that enabled. If you don't see it, you may have to enable the visibility of system tray icons. On GNOME, you do that with the AppIndicator and KStatusNotifierItem Support GNOME Extension. I recommend installing that. Note that you may have to use Firefox to install extensions. I don't know. That is beyond the scope of this document.

If you screw up the Syncthing Tray set up, just click the tray icon, choose Settings and click the little wizard wand in the upper right hand corner of the window to repeat the steps above.

FYI. The Syncthing Tray application is only useful as an service-wellness barometer. Otherwise it doesn't do much. You can also kick open the webUI with it as well. The color will be green if the syncthing service is running okay and it will some other color if something seems to be amiss.

  1. Configure Syncthing Tray to autostart upon login

Assumption: you are running the GNOME desktop. If not, then, figure it out. :)

Either,

  • install the Gnome Tweaks application
  • open it
  • choose "Startup Applications"
  • add Syncthing Tray to the list of applications Or, assuming you installed Syncthing Tray as a Flatpak application,
  • copy Syncthing Tray's .desktop file into the .config/autostart folder
    cp /var/lib/flatpak/app/io.github.martchus.syncthingtray/current/active/export/share/applications/io.github.martchus.syncthingtray.desktop .config/autostart/

 

Done! Now follow the docs for using the service: https://docs.syncthing.net/ Set Syncthing up on all of your systems and share files and documents between them.

Good luck!

Comments and feedback to [email protected]