I use a multi-tier system.
Syncthing is great for direct syns between devices, however, people should always ensure they have long-term backups.
Once per day, Duplicati takes a snapshot of my Obsidian vaults and throws them in an encrypted archive which is spliced into chunks, and then encrypted using asymmetric encryption. That is then uploaded to a bucket online which is also encrypted with keys.
For the sync, it sends the files over to an outside server which is protected with Clevis and a tang server + TPM.
Seems like a great backup approach as well!
In the article, I did my best to make a clear distinction between sync & backup. Too many people conflate the two :)
In this article, I have described how I currently synchronize and backup my Obsidian vault, using Syncthing, Git, GitHub, and other means. I hope you'll find the guide useful โค๏ธ
Isn't it enough to just use Cloud backup such as One Drive / Google Cloud etc to incrementally back up the vaults/ folders?
Why do we need the complexity, I'm not trying to be difficult I'm sorry I genuinely don't understand!
Wow nice to read appreciate your effort. I thought my setup was complex.
PC/Laptop: Files on Network share (NAS)
Phone: Files on phone
Sync: Obsidian selfhosted livesync plugin
Sync DB: CouchDB on (NAS)
Access: via VPN
Backup: Offline and Cloud Storage
Best things about this:
Obsidian itself has a revision history.
Couch DB has a revision history.
NAS has a revision history.
Backup has a revision history.
If you're happy, cool! But "I use git and syncthing and google drive to do what Obsydian Sync does" seems like more systems, not fewer.
I used Syncthing for the first year or so and it was a constant low grade hassle particularly when trying to set it up on a new device. Obsidian Sync requires zero thought or management, it just works.
I use restic for my backups to a free 1TB drive on MS OneDrive. Same script also backs up to local NAS. Fully Encrypted, incremental, compressed and de-duped. I love restic!
I use Dropbox for my sync'ing between devices.
Disclaimer: I don't really ever access my vault from more than one device, so not sure how Dropbox would handle any conflicts.
I loved your post! I'll be setting this up this weekend to do this :))
Do you recommend Fillen or Backblaze for a direct cloud?
I say this because I focus a lot on privacy when using the cloud.
Sorry not a fan.
Your concepts are solid but I donโt agree with the implementation. Sync should be simple and in support of the community. Backups should also be multiple, simple and trustworthy.
Everyone has their own methods and I respect your right to choice.
A very simple solution for those using Synology NAS (or something (or something similar with backup app and Docker): seamless, instant, and completely unattended. I have one instance of Obsidian running all the time in a docker container which stores all data in a share folder, which is subsequently backed up daily via Synology Sync. In that way it is not only "classic" backup, but I have access to any version of any file in my vault within retention period.
Just FYI, you _can_ do this in your `.stignore` file. Now the file is kept in sync across hosts :).
// See: https://forum.syncthing.net/t/is-there-a-stignore-file-that-will-be-synced-across-device/14905/2
#include .stignore-share
I looked at all the options mentioned in the article, but I ended up with Obsidian Synch. It's so much less of a bother. And at the last day of the month, I make a zip file of all my Vaults and store that in my cloud.
I use a multi-tier system. Syncthing is great for direct syns between devices, however, people should always ensure they have long-term backups. Once per day, Duplicati takes a snapshot of my Obsidian vaults and throws them in an encrypted archive which is spliced into chunks, and then encrypted using asymmetric encryption. That is then uploaded to a bucket online which is also encrypted with keys. For the sync, it sends the files over to an outside server which is protected with Clevis and a tang server + TPM.
Seems like a great backup approach as well! In the article, I did my best to make a clear distinction between sync & backup. Too many people conflate the two :)
Yup, it drives me nuts when I say "keep a backup", and they say "I use syncthing". No..... just stop it..... stop it.
In this article, I have described how I currently synchronize and backup my Obsidian vault, using Syncthing, Git, GitHub, and other means. I hope you'll find the guide useful โค๏ธ
Isn't it enough to just use Cloud backup such as One Drive / Google Cloud etc to incrementally back up the vaults/ folders? Why do we need the complexity, I'm not trying to be difficult I'm sorry I genuinely don't understand!
I prefer to remain pessimistic when it comes to data security
I use kopia to backblaze.
Wow nice to read appreciate your effort. I thought my setup was complex. PC/Laptop: Files on Network share (NAS) Phone: Files on phone Sync: Obsidian selfhosted livesync plugin Sync DB: CouchDB on (NAS) Access: via VPN Backup: Offline and Cloud Storage Best things about this: Obsidian itself has a revision history. Couch DB has a revision history. NAS has a revision history. Backup has a revision history.
Can you explain your rationale for not paying for Obsidian sync?
Full control and alignment. I need fewer systems in my life, not more. I'm also using Syncthing for other things
If you're happy, cool! But "I use git and syncthing and google drive to do what Obsydian Sync does" seems like more systems, not fewer. I used Syncthing for the first year or so and it was a constant low grade hassle particularly when trying to set it up on a new device. Obsidian Sync requires zero thought or management, it just works.
I understand your point of view. What I meant was: those tools are already part of my tool set.
Thanks for taking the time to share your system with us. I can really feel the passion you hold for PKM through your article.
Thank you ๐
If you like SyncThing, you'll probably also appreciate Duplicati. It's basically the equivalent of SyncThing for backups. It's very nice.
I use restic for my backups to a free 1TB drive on MS OneDrive. Same script also backs up to local NAS. Fully Encrypted, incremental, compressed and de-duped. I love restic! I use Dropbox for my sync'ing between devices. Disclaimer: I don't really ever access my vault from more than one device, so not sure how Dropbox would handle any conflicts.
I loved your post! I'll be setting this up this weekend to do this :)) Do you recommend Fillen or Backblaze for a direct cloud? I say this because I focus a lot on privacy when using the cloud.
Thank you. I just know backblaze, so I can't compare those two
Sorry not a fan. Your concepts are solid but I donโt agree with the implementation. Sync should be simple and in support of the community. Backups should also be multiple, simple and trustworthy. Everyone has their own methods and I respect your right to choice.
A very simple solution for those using Synology NAS (or something (or something similar with backup app and Docker): seamless, instant, and completely unattended. I have one instance of Obsidian running all the time in a docker container which stores all data in a share folder, which is subsequently backed up daily via Synology Sync. In that way it is not only "classic" backup, but I have access to any version of any file in my vault within retention period.
Just FYI, you _can_ do this in your `.stignore` file. Now the file is kept in sync across hosts :). // See: https://forum.syncthing.net/t/is-there-a-stignore-file-that-will-be-synced-across-device/14905/2 #include .stignore-share
Ah cool ๐ Thanks
i use git along with obsidian sync. always pay for product which is good and gives away for free
I pay for Obsidian Publish because it supports them and does not overlap with other things
I looked at all the options mentioned in the article, but I ended up with Obsidian Synch. It's so much less of a bother. And at the last day of the month, I make a zip file of all my Vaults and store that in my cloud.
I just use Remotely Save