Private Sync

Private Sync Plugin synchronizes an Obsidian vault with a self-hosted Private Sync Server backend.

Server backend: https://github.com/Haniewicz/PrivateSyncServer

The plugin does not use an author-hosted default cloud and does not send data to any external service by default. The user provides the URL of their own server in the plugin settings.

Requirements

• Obsidian 1.11.4 or newer.
• A working Private Sync Server reachable over HTTP or HTTPS.
• A server password configured with syncctl setup.
• HTTPS is recommended, especially when connecting from outside the local network.

Installation From Release

1. Download these files from GitHub Releases:
   • manifest.json
   • main.js
   • styles.css
2. Create the plugin folder in your Obsidian vault:

mkdir -p /path/to/vault/.obsidian/plugins/private-sync

3. Copy the three release files into that folder.
4. Enable the plugin in Obsidian under Settings -> Community plugins.
5. In the plugin settings, enter:
   • Server URL, for example https://your-server.example,
   • device name,
   • device type,
   • server pairing password.
6. Click Pair.
7. If this is the first device after syncctl setup, it will be paired automatically. Additional devices require approval on an already paired device or a one-time recovery pairing code from the server.

Developer Build

npm install
npm run build

After the build, copy manifest.json, main.js, and styles.css into the plugin folder in your Obsidian vault.

How Synchronization Works

• The plugin keeps a local synchronization index in Obsidian plugin data.
• Changes are detected by SHA-256 hashes, size, and modification time.
• Uploads happen in batches: operation metadata first, then file contents, then the batch commit.
• Downloads are based on the local vault's last_applied_revision.
• Each device has its own device_token.
• One local Obsidian vault is permanently linked to one server vault.
• On the first link, the plugin calculates a local manifest and asks the server to assess connection safety.
• An empty server vault requires confirmation for Local -> Remote upload.
• A non-empty server vault requires an explicit decision: Remote -> Local, Local -> Remote, or cancel.

Private Sync View

The sidebar view contains these tabs:

• Status - local file state, queues, conflicts, and ignored files.
• Devices - paired devices, status changes, and device removal.
• Vaults - creating, selecting, renaming, and deleting server vaults.
• Plugins - community plugin catalog detected on other devices.
• Requests - new device approvals and other decisions requiring confirmation.
• Conflicts - file conflicts and tools for manually choosing a version.
• History - file revision history.
• Events - local events and error logs.
• Storage - server-side storage usage preview and cleanup of safe temporary data.

Community Plugins

Community plugin synchronization is a separate toggle in the Obsidian settings.

Private Sync:

• scans local community plugins,
• stores their ID, name, version, and author on the server,
• synchronizes JSON settings files from each plugin folder,
• skips manifest.json,
• does not synchronize plugin code (main.js, styles.css),
• does not synchronize the private-sync plugin itself.

In the Plugins tab, a missing plugin can be opened in Obsidian's official installer with Open. When a plugin is already installed locally, the available actions are Enable, Disable, Uninstall, and Apply Server Settings.

Obsidian Settings

Synchronization of selected Obsidian settings is enabled by default and can be disabled in the plugin settings.

The plugin synchronizes settings for note creators:

• daily notes,
• templates,
• unique note creator,
• Zettelkasten prefixer.

It does not synchronize the workspace or the entire configuration directory blindly.

Large Files And Attachments

The plugin includes safeguards against clogging synchronization with large files:

• it does not hash a file again if the index has status synced and mtime and size have not changed,
• it has an attachment synchronization toggle,
• it has an automatic file synchronization limit, default 100 MB,
• files above the limit are marked as ignored,
• files above the large-file threshold, default 10 MB, are uploaded and downloaded with chunked transfer,
• the default chunk size is 5 MB.

The Obsidian API still requires the plugin to read changed file contents as an ArrayBuffer before it can calculate the hash and start the upload. For very large attachments, the automatic synchronization limit remains the best protection.

Encryption

The plugin includes client-side encryption support for selected notes and encryption key metadata. The encryption password is not the server password. Resetting the server password does not recover or change data encryption keys.

Mobile

The plugin is prepared for basic operation in Obsidian Mobile:

• it does not use Node.js, Electron, or FileSystemAdapter in plugin code,
• it uses requestUrl for HTTP communication,
• it uses Vault.configDir instead of the hardcoded .obsidian path,
• it deletes files through FileManager.trashFile,
• after startup and layout readiness, it runs synchronization,
• when the app returns to the active view, it reconnects WebSocket and synchronizes,
• on focus, pageshow, online, and visibilitychange to visible, it checks changes through the API,
• when the app goes into the background, it closes WebSocket and does not assume background execution.

On mobile, WebSocket is an auxiliary channel for events, not the source of truth. On every app activation, the plugin fetches state through the HTTP API based on last_applied_revision.

Privacy

• The plugin connects only to the server configured by the user.
• The plugin requires device pairing and stores a local device_token.
• The plugin reads files from the vault, calculates their hashes, and uploads changed files to the configured server.
• The plugin downloads changes from the server and writes them to the vault.
• The plugin does not include telemetry, ads, or external analytics services.
• The plugin does not send data to any default server hosted by the author.

mkdir -p /sciezka/do/vaulta/.obsidian/plugins/private-sync

npm install
npm run build