Syncthing on NetBSD

Last edited on 2026-10-15 • Tagged under #syncthing #netbsd #bsd

Syncthing is a continuous file synchronization program. Once installed and configured, it will keep designated directories and their contents synced between multiple devices. I’m currently using Syncthing to sync photos and videos taken with my Android phone with my NetBSD 11.0 desktop.

Install the package

Syncthing is already packaged for NetBSD. Install:

doas pkgin install syncthing

Syncthing runs under the syncthing user, and that user along with a group by the same name are automatically created.

Create the service

Create a syncthing service file:

doas cp /usr/pkg/share/examples/rc.d/syncthing /etc/rc.d/syncthing

Add to rc.conf:

echo "syncthing=YES" | doas tee -a /etc/rc.conf

Start the service:

doas service syncthing start ; service syncthing status

Upon first launch, Syncthing generates config.xml and several other files in /usr/pkg/etc/syncthing and a logfile at /var/log/syncthing.log.

Create a sync directory

Create a directory to hold data that is to be synced. Example: I create sync (owned by syncthing) in my user’s $HOME:

mkdir ~/sync
doas chown -R syncthing:syncthing ~/sync ; doas chmod 770 ~/sync

Add my user to the syncthing group:

doas usermod -G syncthing $USER

Logout and back in.

In a web browser, navigate to http://127.0.0.1:8384/ which is Syncthing’s web interface. From here on just follow the Getting Started Guide.

For the Android end of things, I’m using the Syncthing-Fork app courtesy of F-Droid.

You can like, share, or comment on this post on the Fediverse 💬

Thanks for reading! Read other posts?

« Previous: Openbox on NetBSD