Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Syncthing VS GlusterFS

Compare Syncthing VS GlusterFS and see what are their differences

Syncthing logo Syncthing

Syncthing replaces proprietary sync and cloud services with something open, trustworthy and...

GlusterFS logo GlusterFS

GlusterFS is a scale-out network-attached storage file system.
  • Syncthing Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-18
  • GlusterFS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-03-10

Syncthing features and specs

  • Open Source
    Syncthing is open-source software, making it free to use and allowing for community contributions. This fosters transparency and continuous improvement.
  • Privacy
    The software uses peer-to-peer communication, meaning your files are not stored on a third-party server, enhancing privacy and security.
  • Cross Platform
    Syncthing is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android, ensuring broad compatibility.
  • Real-time Sync
    The software offers real-time synchronization, which ensures that changes are immediately propagated across all devices, minimizing data inconsistencies.
  • Version Control
    Syncthing provides file versioning features, which can help recover older versions of files in case of accidental deletion or changes.

Possible disadvantages of Syncthing

  • Complex Setup
    Initial configuration and setup might be complex for users who are not technically inclined, requiring a certain level of understanding of network concepts.
  • Resource Usage
    Real-time syncing and continuous operation can consume significant system resources, affecting performance, especially on less powerful devices.
  • No Native Mobile Experience
    While Syncthing is available on Android, there is no official iOS app, which limits its usability for users on Apple's mobile platform.
  • Network Dependency
    Effective synchronization depends on the availability of a reliable network connection, which can be a limitation in areas with poor connectivity.
  • Self-Management
    Unlike cloud-based solutions, Syncthing requires users to handle their own backups, security, and maintenance, which can be time-consuming and complex.

GlusterFS features and specs

  • Scalability
    GlusterFS can easily scale out by adding more servers to the cluster, allowing it to handle increasing amounts of data and traffic.
  • Distributed File System
    It provides a distributed file system, enabling data replication and distribution across multiple nodes, which enhances data availability and reliability.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, GlusterFS provides flexibility and freedom for customization to fit specific needs without the cost associated with proprietary solutions.
  • POSIX Compliance
    GlusterFS is POSIX-compliant, meaning it supports standard file system operations, which makes it easier to integrate with existing applications and systems.
  • High Availability
    With built-in features like self-healing and replication, GlusterFS ensures that data remains available and consistent even in the event of hardware failures.
  • Geographical Distribution
    It supports geographical distribution of data, which is beneficial for disaster recovery and accessing data from multiple locations.

Possible disadvantages of GlusterFS

  • Performance Overhead
    Due to its distributed nature, GlusterFS might introduce performance overhead, particularly for workloads requiring low-latency or high-throughput.
  • Complexity in Management
    Managing a GlusterFS cluster can be complex, requiring in-depth knowledge of the system to properly configure and troubleshoot issues.
  • Latency Issues
    Latency can become a significant issue, especially in write-heavy applications or when nodes are geographically distant.
  • Resource Intensive
    GlusterFS can be resource-intensive, requiring significant CPU and memory resources to manage its distributed architecture and ensure data consistency.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    Compared to other distributed file systems, GlusterFS may lack some advanced features like native support for certain storage protocols or comprehensive storage tiering.
  • Community Support
    While there is a community around GlusterFS, the level and speed of community support may not match that of commercially-backed solutions.

Syncthing videos

Why We Use Syncthing, The Open Source Private File Syncing Tool instead of NextCloud

More videos:

  • Review - Setup and Review of SyncThing, The Open Source File synchronization tool
  • Review - Syncthing for Syncing Both Computers & Phones

GlusterFS videos

An Overview of GlusterFS Architecture Part 2 - Non-replicated Cluster

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Syncthing and GlusterFS)
Cloud Storage
96 96%
4% 4
File Sharing
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
0 0%
100% 100
File Sharing And Backup
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Syncthing and GlusterFS

Syncthing Reviews

15 Best Rclone Alternatives 2022
With this tool, you can synchronize files between multiple computers without hassles. Syncthing is not very different from rclone as it also supports command-line functionality. Also, itโ€™s a free and open source application with all source code available on GitHub.

GlusterFS Reviews

We have no reviews of GlusterFS yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Syncthing seems to be a lot more popular than GlusterFS. While we know about 851 links to Syncthing, we've tracked only 2 mentions of GlusterFS. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Syncthing mentions (851)

  • Syncthing File Sync for Self-Hosted Knowledge Systems
    Unlike cloud storage platforms, Syncthing uses a peer-to-peer model where each device holds its own copy of synced folders and exchanges changes directly with trusted peers. There is no central server that owns your data, no subscription account, and no vendor lock-in. The project is open-source and community-driven, with more details at syncthing.net. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • The Quiet Renovation at Bitwarden
    Been using this setup for many years and never had any problem at all. I sync between desktop and mobile with Syncthing[0]. And also you can configure Syncthing to do file versioning, and it has many options (Trash Can, Simple, Staggered or External file versioning) so if some weird conflict happens you'll never lose data. But honestly, I have never had any issues, and I have been running this setup for many... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Show HN: Stop paying for Dropbox/Google Drive, use your own S3 bucket instead
    Https://syncthing.net/ <- like this :) Free, opensource, works on computers and phones, can in most cases puncture nat, supports local discovery (lan, multicast). No googles, no dropboxes, no clouds, no AI training, no "my kid likes the wrong video on youtube, now our whole family lost access to every google account we had, so we lost everything, including family photos", just sync! (not affiliated, just really... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Seafile vs Syncthing: Server vs Peer-to-Peer
    Syncthing is a decentralized, peer-to-peer file sync tool. Devices connect directly to each other โ€” no central server. It does one thing: keep folders in sync across devices. It does this exceptionally well, with block-level delta sync and strong encryption. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • iCloud Photos Downloader
    This will let you download all of your photos that already exist on iCloud Photos. Going forward, youโ€™d want to set up some other way to sync photos you take from your phone to your other devices. I can personally recommend Synology Photos for simplicity[1], or Immich[2] for an open-source (and in my opinion, slightly better) alternative you can run on any hardware, if youโ€™d like to set up an always-on NAS. These... - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
View more

GlusterFS mentions (2)

  • [D] What are the compute options you've considered for your projects?
    I am a fan of Gearman to schedule and dispatch distributed jobs, Redis as a collaborative blackboard, and GlusterFS to share models across multiple systems and make bulk data available across the entire system (usually referenced in the blackboard as a pathname). Source: over 3 years ago
  • Gluster vs Oracle Gluster
    If you're not relying on support, then I would probably standardize on the latest packages available from gluster.org. Source: about 5 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Syncthing and GlusterFS, you can also consider the following products

Nextcloud - With Nextcloud enterprises host their own secure cloud solution for storage, collaboration & communication from any device, anywhere.

rkt - App Container runtime

Dropbox - Online Sync and File Sharing

Ceph - Ceph is a distributed object store and file system designed to provide excellent performance...

FreeFileSync - FreeFileSync is a free open source data backup software that helps you synchronize files and folders on Windows, Linux and macOS.

Apache Karaf - Apache Karaf is a lightweight, modern and polymorphic container powered by OSGi.