What Driftless is
Driftless is a self-hosted, Docker-based file sync engine built from scratch. You run one small server on hardware you control, create a user for each person, and your devices keep their folders in sync — your data stays yours, and there is no monthly fee.
The idea: a dumb server, smart clients
Most self-hosted sync tools are powerful but heavy to operate. Driftless takes the opposite stance: the server does almost nothing, and the clients hold the intelligence. The server only stores content and tracks file versions; each client decides what to sync and what stays on the device. That split is what keeps hosting it genuinely simple — set a storage path and create users, and you are done.
What you get today
- A single-binary server with content-addressed chunk storage and a REST sync API, packaged for Docker.
- An embedded web admin for first-run setup, user management, and basic settings — no separate service to run.
- A desktop client (macOS, Windows, Linux) that syncs a folder with delta transfers, global de-duplication, continuous watching, and safe keep-both conflict handling.
On the roadmap
Driftless is under active development. Real-time change push and automatic version cleanup with bounded storage are already in place. Still planned (not in the current release): browsable file version history, Android and iOS apps with automatic background photo backup, and on-demand placeholder files (visible everywhere, downloaded on open).
Where to start
Follow the Quickstart to run the server and sync your first folder, or read How syncing works to understand the engine.