SyncTwink

A skinny but powerful, self-hosted file sync across your devices over a Tailscale tailnet.

Two always-on servers (e.g. a Raspberry Pi and a Mac Mini) each expose the same folder over WebDAV for iOS Files and other clients, while Syncthing keeps the two copies replicated. Either server can go offline and your files stay reachable from the other.

        Tailnet (WireGuard, end-to-end encrypted)
   ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
   │                                                    │
┌──┴──────────────┐   Syncthing replication   ┌─────────┴───────┐
│  Raspberry Pi   │ <───────────────────────> │    Mac Mini     │
│  • Tailscale    │                            │  • Tailscale    │
│  • WebDAV :8080 │                            │  • WebDAV :8080 │
│  • Syncthing    │                            │  • Syncthing    │
└──┬──────────────┘                            └─────────┬───────┘
   │                                                     │
   │            WebDAV over Tailscale (HTTP/HTTPS)       │
   └──────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────┘
                          │
            ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
            │  iPhone / iPad Files app  │  ← connects to whichever
            │  Mac / other devices      │     server is reachable
            └───────────────────────────┘

SyncTwink is the glue: a small Python package + CLI you install on each server. It configures the WebDAV service (via WsgiDAV), sets up the Syncthing shared folder, and optionally fronts WebDAV with HTTPS using tailscale serve.

What it does

• WebDAV server backed by WsgiDAV + cheroot, serving one folder with per-user auth (basic + digest). Works with iOS Files, macOS Finder, and any WebDAV client.
• Syncthing replication between the two servers, configured for you via Syncthing's REST API (adds the folder, pairs peers, enables file versioning).
• Native services — installed as a systemd unit on Linux or a launchd agent/daemon on macOS, so WebDAV starts on boot and restarts on failure.
• Tailscale-aware — reads your tailnet status to print the right connection URLs and can expose WebDAV over HTTPS with a valid MagicDNS cert.

SyncTwink assumes Tailscale is already installed and tailscale up has been run on each machine. It does not manage the tailnet itself.

Quick start (run on each server)

# 1. Install the CLI (pick one)
pipx install SyncTwink
# or from source:
# pipx install git+https://github.com/jchaselubitz/synctwink.git
# pipx install .                  # from a git clone

# 2. Create a config (generates a WebDAV password for you)
sudo synctwink init --user jake --data-dir /srv/synctwink/data

# 3. Find this machine's Syncthing device id (after Syncthing has run once)
synctwink syncthing id

Put each server's device id into the other server's config under syncthing.peers, then on both machines:

sudo synctwink install     # installs deps, configures Syncthing, starts WebDAV
synctwink status           # health check + connection URLs

See docs/INSTALL.md for the full walkthrough and docs/IOS.md for connecting the iPhone Files app.

CLI

For an often-offline laptop that wants offline files without burning battery, see docs/LAPTOP.md: join it as a Syncthing peer, pause on battery, and use synctwink sync to pull changes on demand.

Configuration

A single YAML file. Default location is /etc/synctwink/config.yaml (root) or ~/.config/synctwink/config.yaml. Override with --config or SYNCTWINK_CONFIG. See synctwink/templates/config.example.yaml.

The config holds plaintext WebDAV passwords and is written 0600. Because all traffic rides the encrypted tailnet, HTTP basic auth is safe here.

Requirements

• Python 3.9+
• Tailscale (installed + tailscale up already done)
• Syncthing (auto-installed via apt/dnf/pacman/brew if missing)
• A Linux host with systemd, or macOS with launchd

Architecture & design notes

See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.