rbox vs Syncthing for developer workspaces

Short version: Syncthing is free, open source, and self-hosted, a great general-purpose sync tool if you're willing to configure it. rbox is a managed Syncthing alternative built specifically for developer working directories: it understands Git state and ignores rebuildable files by default, with one setup command after installation and nothing to maintain.

At a glance

Where Syncthing wins

Syncthing is free forever and fully self-hosted. No third party touches your data, and there's no storage limit beyond your own disks. It's mature, well audited after more than a decade in the wild, and supports far more platforms than rbox does today, including Android. If you're syncing more than code, say photos, documents, or a media library, Syncthing's general-purpose design handles that fine without any dev-specific assumptions getting in the way.

Where rbox wins

Syncthing wasn't built with repositories in mind, so two problems show up for developers. Dependency directories sync like everything else unless you hand-write ignore patterns, and concurrent writes to .git from two machines can leave a repo in a genuinely inconsistent state.

rbox skips node_modules, build output, and secrets such as .env by default. It never copies .git as files. Git state moves as an explicit, encrypted git bundle, and is applied only when the receiving repo has no work of its own. There are no discovery servers, relays, or NAT settings to maintain.

What "Git-aware" looks like when work diverges

Say you left uncommitted edits in a repo on your desktop, then switched branches on your laptop. With Syncthing, both sets of .git files race, and the loser becomes a .sync-conflict file Git can't read. With rbox, the desktop's Git state is left alone and rbox status reports:

⚠ 1 repo is waiting on you — rbox paused git sync there so nothing you did gets overwritten.
  See them:  rbox status --git

rbox status --git gives the reason ("you have uncommitted work here") and the three ways out:

rbox git resolve <repo> show-me      # what's waiting, and what only this computer has
rbox git resolve <repo> keep-mine    # this computer's state becomes the synced one
rbox git resolve <repo> take-theirs --confirm <token from show-me>

take-theirs first saves this computer's Git state in .rbox/git-quarantine/, and both choices accept --dry-run. Ordinary files work differently: if both machines edited the same file, rbox writes the incoming version and keeps yours as name.<device>.<time>.conflict.ext, then lists leftover conflict copies in rbox status.

Switching one project from Syncthing to rbox

Move one project at a time. The one rule: never let Syncthing and rbox sync the same folder at once. Two sync engines on one folder will fight.

1. Settle Syncthing. Wait until every device shows the folder as Up to Date. Look for .sync-conflict- files and deal with them first.
2. Pick one source machine. Choose the computer with the newest work. Commit or stash anything you care about there, and run git status on the other machines so you know what only they have.
3. Stop Syncthing for that folder on every device (pause or remove the folder in Syncthing). Syncthing leaves your files on disk.
4. Set up rbox on the source machine. Install, then run rbox setup inside the project and choose Create a new workspace from a directory. Setup offers a pairing token for the next machine when it finishes.
5. Join from the second machine into a fresh, empty directory (for example ~/code/project-rbox) rather than the old Syncthing copy. Run rbox setup, choose Log into an existing account, paste the token, then Sync an existing workspace.
6. Check it. Run git status and rbox status on both machines. Once they match, reinstall dependencies on the second machine (they don't sync) and archive the old Syncthing copy.

The docs cover each setup prompt. For why a live repository is risky in Syncthing in the first place, read Syncthing and Git.

Who should stay on Syncthing

• You want free, open-source, self-hosted sync with no account.
• You need Windows, Intel Mac, Android, or BSD.
• You mostly sync photos, documents, or media, not code.
• Your repos are always committed and pushed before you switch machines, so Git already moves everything you need.

rbox fits if you move between Apple-silicon Macs and Linux boxes, keep unfinished work in progress, and want it waiting on the other machine without a wip commit.

Frequently asked questions

Is rbox a replacement for Syncthing?

Not exactly. If you've already got Syncthing configured and don't mind maintaining .stignore patterns and device pairing, it remains a solid free, self-hosted option. rbox is for people who want continuous background sync with managed setup and native Git awareness, and are comfortable with a hosted service handling the rest.

Can Syncthing sync Git state?

Syncthing syncs files, so it will replicate your .git directory like any other folder. It has no concept of what's committed, stashed, or mid-rebase, though, so two machines writing to .git at the same time can leave you with an inconsistent repo. rbox never syncs .git as files; it moves branch, HEAD, index, latest stash, and in-progress rebase or merge state as an encrypted git bundle. For the details, see our Syncthing and Git guide.

Is rbox open source like Syncthing?

Not currently. Syncthing has been open source for over a decade and that's a real, durable advantage if self-hosting or auditability is a hard requirement for you.

Does rbox run on Windows or Intel Macs?

No. rbox supports macOS on Apple silicon and Linux on x64 or ARM64. If you need Windows, Android, or BSD, Syncthing is the better fit.

Does rbox use peer-to-peer sync like Syncthing?

No. rbox syncs through a managed hosted service, so there's no discovery, relay, or NAT traversal setup on your end. Everything is still end-to-end encrypted before it leaves your machine, so rbox's own servers only ever see ciphertext.

Ready to move one project over? Install rbox and run rbox setup. Your first subscription includes 14 days free (pricing).

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