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Resilio Sync — P2P file sync (AirDrop-style transfer + phone→NAS backup)

Resilio Sync is a peer-to-peer file-sync tool (BitTorrent-based, no cloud middleman). This repo installs it for two jobs:

  • Cross-system transfer — drop a file in a synced folder on one machine, it appears on the others (AirDrop-style, but cross-platform and over any network).
  • Phone → NAS photo backup — the Resilio mobile app camera-backup pushes photos into a folder that syncs to a NAS/server host running the daemon.

Opt-in via the installResilioSync chezmoi prompt (default off).

  • Install:
  • macOS — GUI app via Homebrew cask resilio-sync (in dot_config/homebrew/Brewfile.darwin.tmpl, gated by installResilioSync).
  • Linux (desktop and server) — the resilio-sync package from Resilio's apt repo, installed by the resilio_sync ansible role. There is no GUI on Linux — it runs as a daemon (binary rslsync) and you configure it through a WebUI on 127.0.0.1:8888.
  • Verify: rslsync --help (Linux) / open the app (macOS); systemctl --user status resilio-sync (Linux service).
  • Status in this repo: opt-in via installResilioSync=true. On Linux the daemon is run as a per-user systemd service (see below), gated by the role default resilio_sync_enable_service (true).

Platform model

macOS Linux (desktop + server)
Form Native GUI app (menu-bar) Headless daemon (rslsync) — no GUI
Install brew cask resilio-sync apt resilio-sync (resilio_sync role)
Configure In the app WebUI http://127.0.0.1:8888
Runs as Your user (login item) Your user (per-user systemd service)
Config dir ~/Library/Application Support/Resilio Sync/ ~/.config/resilio-sync/

The Linux package being headless is why ubuntu_server is fully supported: nothing here needs a desktop.

Linux: per-user service

The package ships both a rootful system unit (running as the rslsync system user) and a per-user unit (/usr/lib/systemd/user/resilio-sync.service). This repo disables the system unit and runs the per-user one so the daemon has direct access to your $HOME files — the natural fit for photo/NAS sync. This mirrors the repo's Docker-rootless pattern.

# Service lifecycle (per-user)
systemctl --user status  resilio-sync
systemctl --user restart resilio-sync
systemctl --user stop    resilio-sync

# The role runs `loginctl enable-linger $USER` so the daemon survives logout
# (important on a headless server you SSH into and then disconnect).
loginctl show-user "$USER" --property=Linger   # -> Linger=yes

Config and identity live in ~/.config/resilio-sync/ — not chezmoi-managed (it holds per-device identity/keys). Configure via the WebUI, not by hand.

Reaching the WebUI on a headless server

The WebUI binds to loopback (127.0.0.1:8888) only. From your laptop, SSH-tunnel it:

ssh -L 8888:127.0.0.1:8888 user@server
# then open http://localhost:8888 in your browser

On first load the WebUI asks you to set a username/password and accept the EULA.

First-run workflow

macOS: open Resilio Sync → accept EULA → Add folder (or + → Standard folder) → it generates a key/link → share that with your other machines.

Linux/headless (WebUI):

  1. Tunnel + open http://localhost:8888, set WebUI login.
  2. + → Standard folder, pick a path (e.g. ~/Sync/photos).
  3. Click the folder → Copy key (or Share → read-write vs read-only link / QR code).
  4. On the second machine (or mobile app), + → Enter a key or link and paste it.

Key types: a read-write key lets a peer change files both ways; a read-only key is one-directional (good for a NAS that only receives). The QR code is for pairing the mobile app quickly.

Phone → NAS photo backup recipe

  1. On the NAS/server host: create a read-write Standard folder, e.g. ~/Sync/CameraBackup, that also lives on (or is symlinked to) NAS storage.
  2. Grab that folder's read-write key/QR from the WebUI.
  3. Install the Resilio Sync mobile app, add the folder by scanning the QR, and enable camera / photo backup pointed at it.
  4. Photos now sync phone → server folder → NAS automatically whenever both are online (same LAN or over the internet via Resilio's relays).

Troubleshooting

  • WebUI won't load — confirm the service is up (systemctl --user status resilio-sync) and the SSH tunnel is active; the port is 8888 on loopback.
  • Address already in use / port 8888 taken — another process (or the old rootful resilio-sync.service) is bound. Check sudo ss -ltnp | grep 8888; ensure the system unit is disabled (sudo systemctl status resilio-sync).
  • Permission denied on synced files — the per-user service runs as you, so sync folders must be readable/writable by your user. (If you ever switch back to the rootful unit, files are owned by the rslsync user instead.)
  • Peers don't discover each other on the LAN — allow Resilio's ports through the firewall (it uses a listening port shown in WebUI → Preferences; LAN discovery is UDP multicast). Over the internet it falls back to Resilio relay/tracker.
  • Service didn't start after chezmoi apply — on containers/hosts without a user systemd session the enable step is best-effort; start it manually once a session exists.
  • Install failed at the GPG-key / apt step (gpg: no valid OpenPGP data found, or a multi-minute hang) — Resilio's CDN resolves to an IPv6 Meta/Fastly endpoint where port 80 (http://) is blocked on some networks while https:// works. The role fetches the key and repo over https:// for exactly this reason; if you still see it, test curl -I --max-time 10 https://linux-packages.resilio.com/resilio-sync/key.asc (expect 200).
  • Install mechanism overview: tool-managers.md (§ Tool index → resilio-sync; § Vendor apt repos → linux-packages.resilio.com).
  • Cloud-sync alternative for one-directional cloud targets: rclone (managed via devtools).