Sync Settings
Keep your hosts, settings, and snippets synchronized across all your devices with Xermius Cloud Sync.
What is Cloud Sync?
Simple Explanation: Cloud Sync automatically keeps your data up-to-date across all devices. Add a host on your MacBook, it appears on your Windows PC. Change settings on desktop, they sync to laptop.
What syncs:
✓ Hosts & connection details
✓ Terminal settings
✓ Snippets
✓ Port forwarding configs
✓ Known hosts
✓ Preferences
✗ Saved passwords (security)
✗ SSH private keys (security)
Enabling Cloud Sync
Access:
Settings → Synchronization
First-Time Setup
Step 1: Sign In
┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Cloud Synchronization │
├────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Sign in to enable sync │
│ │
│ Email: │
│ [your@email.com ] │
│ │
│ Password: │
│ [••••••••••] │
│ │
│ [Sign In] [Create Account] │
└────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 2: Enable Sync
Cloud Synchronization:
[ ] Disabled
[Enable Cloud Sync]
Sync Server:
sync.xermius.com
[Test Connection]
Step 3: Initial Sync
First Sync:
○ Upload local data to cloud
○ Download cloud data to device
○ Merge (combine both)
Recommended: Merge
[Start Sync]
Sync Status
Dashboard:
┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Sync Status ● │
├────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Status: Synced ✓ │
│ Last Sync: 2 minutes ago │
│ Next Sync: In 3 minutes │
│ │
│ Synced Items: │
│ • Hosts: 25 │
│ • Snippets: 47 │
│ • Settings: 12 │
│ • Known Hosts: 18 │
│ │
│ Devices: 3 │
│ • MacBook Pro (this device) │
│ • Windows Desktop │
│ • Linux Laptop │
│ │
│ [Sync Now] [View History] │
└────────────────────────────────────┘
Sync Frequency
Auto-Sync
Automatic Sync:
[✓] Enable automatic synchronization
Sync Frequency:
○ Every 1 minute (frequent)
● Every 5 minutes (recommended)
○ Every 15 minutes
○ Every hour
○ Manual only
[✓] Sync on startup
[✓] Sync on changes
[✓] Sync before quit
Manual Sync
Trigger sync manually:
Click "Sync Now" button
or
Keyboard: Cmd+Shift+S
Useful for:
- Immediate sync needed
- Before important work
- After bulk changes
What Gets Synced
Hosts
Host Data:
[✓] Host configurations
[✓] Connection details
[✓] Port forwarding rules
[✓] Custom tags & colors
[ ] SSH passwords (security: local only)
[ ] Private keys (security: local only)
Total: 25 hosts synced
Snippets
Snippets:
[✓] All snippets
[✓] Categories
[✓] Variables
[✓] Usage statistics
Total: 47 snippets synced
Settings
Application Settings:
[✓] Terminal settings
[✓] Theme & appearance
[✓] Notification preferences
[✓] Keyboard shortcuts
[ ] Master password (local only)
Total: 12 setting groups synced
Known Hosts
Known Hosts:
[✓] SSH host keys
[✓] Trust levels
[✓] Verification history
Total: 18 known hosts synced
Conflict Resolution
When Conflicts Occur
Conflict example:
Device A: Changed host port 22 → 2222
Device B: Changed host user root → admin
Both changed same host, different fields
Result: Conflict!
Resolution Strategies
Strategy 1: Newest Wins (Default)
Conflict Resolution:
● Use newest changes
○ Use oldest changes
○ Manual resolution
○ Keep both (duplicate)
Newest Wins:
Last modified: Device B (2 min ago)
→ Use Device B changes
→ Overwrite Device A
Strategy 2: Manual Resolution
Conflict Detected:
Host: production-server
Modified on: MacBook (5 min ago)
Modified on: Desktop (2 min ago)
Changes:
MacBook: Port 22 → 2222
Desktop: User root → admin
Choose resolution:
○ Keep MacBook changes
○ Keep Desktop changes
● Merge both changes
[Resolve]
Strategy 3: Keep Both
Creates two versions:
- production-server (MacBook)
- production-server (Desktop)
You choose which to keep later
Sync History
View History
Sync History:
┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Jan 17, 10:45 - Sync Successful │
│ ↓ Downloaded: 2 hosts, 1 snippet │
│ ↑ Uploaded: 3 settings │
│ Duration: 1.2s │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Jan 17, 10:40 - Sync Successful │
│ ↓ Downloaded: 1 setting │
│ ↑ Uploaded: Nothing │
│ Duration: 0.8s │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Jan 17, 10:35 - Conflict Resolved │
│ Host "staging" merged │
│ Resolution: Newest wins │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Jan 17, 10:30 - Sync Failed │
│ Error: Network timeout │
│ Retry scheduled │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘
[Export History] [Clear Old History]
Sync Statistics
Last 30 Days:
Total Syncs: 1,247
Successful: 1,240 (99.4%)
Failed: 7 (0.6%)
Data Transferred:
↓ Downloaded: 2.3 MB
↑ Uploaded: 1.8 MB
Total: 4.1 MB
Average Duration: 1.1s
Conflicts:
Total: 3
Auto-resolved: 2
Manual: 1
Devices Management
Connected Devices
Your Devices:
┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 💻 MacBook Pro (this device) │
│ Last Sync: 2 minutes ago │
│ Status: Active ● │
│ OS: macOS 14.2 │
│ Version: Xermius 2.1.0 │
├────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 🖥 Windows Desktop │
│ Last Sync: 5 minutes ago │
│ Status: Active ● │
│ OS: Windows 11 │
│ Version: Xermius 2.1.0 │
│ [Remove Device] │
├────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 🐧 Linux Laptop │
│ Last Sync: 3 days ago │
│ Status: Inactive ○ │
│ OS: Ubuntu 22.04 │
│ Version: Xermius 2.0.8 │
│ [Remove Device] │
└────────────────────────────────────┘
[Add New Device]
Remove Device
Remove Device?
Device: Windows Desktop
Last Sync: 5 minutes ago
⚠️ This will:
- Remove device from sync
- Stop syncing to this device
- NOT delete data on device
Local data remains untouched
Can re-add device anytime
[Cancel] [Remove]
Sync Security
Encryption
Sync Encryption:
[✓] End-to-end encryption
[✓] Zero-knowledge encryption
[✓] Encrypt before upload
Encryption Key:
● Device-based (automatic)
○ Custom passphrase
Details:
- Your data encrypted locally
- Server cannot read your data
- Only your devices can decrypt
- You control encryption keys
Privacy
Privacy Settings:
[✓] Anonymous sync (no device names)
[✓] Encrypt device information
[ ] Share usage data with server
What's Private:
✓ Your hosts
✓ Your passwords (never synced!)
✓ Your SSH keys (never synced!)
✓ Your commands
✓ All settings
Backup & Restore
Cloud Backup
Cloud Backup:
[✓] Keep backup copies
[✓] Version history
History Retention:
Keep versions for: [30] days
Versions Kept:
Up to [10] previous versions
Storage Used: 2.3 MB / 100 MB
Restore from Cloud
Restore Data:
Restore Point:
[Jan 17, 2024 10:00 ▼]
Available Versions:
- Jan 17, 10:00 (current)
- Jan 17, 09:00 (1 hour ago)
- Jan 16, 18:00 (yesterday)
- Jan 15, 12:00 (2 days ago)
Preview:
25 hosts, 47 snippets, 12 settings
[Preview Changes] [Restore]
Full Reset
Reset Sync:
Warning:
⚠️ This will:
- Remove all cloud data
- Disconnect all devices
- Cannot be undone
Local data NOT affected
Can re-enable sync anytime
Confirmation:
Type "RESET" to confirm
[________________]
[Cancel] [Reset Sync]
Troubleshooting
Sync Not Working
Check:
1. Internet connected?
[Test Connection]
2. Server reachable?
sync.xermius.com
3. Account active?
Settings → Account
4. Storage limit reached?
2.3 MB / 100 MB ✓
Sync Slow
Speed up:
1. Check internet speed
2. Reduce sync frequency
3. Sync fewer items:
[ ] Sync logs (large)
[✓] Sync hosts only
4. Clear old versions:
Keep versions: 30 days → 7 days
Conflicts Keep Happening
Prevent:
1. Don't work on multiple devices simultaneously
2. Let sync finish before switching
3. Use manual sync before important changes
4. Check sync status before editing
Workflow:
1. Open Xermius
2. Wait for sync (30 sec)
3. Make changes
4. Sync manually
5. Switch devices
Lost Data After Sync
Recover:
1. Settings → Sync → Restore
2. Select earlier version
3. Preview changes
4. Restore if correct
Always keep local backups!
Settings → Import/Export → Export
Advanced Settings
Custom Sync Server
Sync Server:
○ Official (sync.xermius.com)
● Custom server
Server URL:
[https://sync.mycompany.com]
Authentication:
[✓] Use custom credentials
[Test Connection] [Save]
For: Enterprise deployments
Selective Sync
Selective Sync:
Choose what to sync
[✓] Hosts
[✓] Connection details
[✓] Port forwarding
[ ] Tags (local only)
[✓] Snippets
[✓] All snippets
[ ] Usage stats
[✓] Settings
[✓] Terminal
[✓] Appearance
[ ] Security
[Apply]
Bandwidth Limits
Bandwidth:
[ ] Limit sync bandwidth
Upload Speed:
[1000] KB/s (unlimited)
Download Speed:
[1000] KB/s (unlimited)
Sync on:
[✓] WiFi
[✓] Ethernet
[ ] Mobile data
Tips & Best Practices
1. Sync Before Important Work
Before production changes:
1. Click "Sync Now"
2. Wait for completion
3. Make changes
4. Sync again
5. Verify on other devices
2. Check Sync Status
Daily habit:
- Glance at sync indicator
- ● Green = synced
- ○ Yellow = syncing
- ⚠ Red = error
Fix errors promptly!
3. Regular Backups
Monthly:
1. Export all data
Settings → Export
2. Save locally
3. Keep multiple versions
4. Test restore occasionally
4. Clean Up Old Devices
Quarterly:
1. Review device list
2. Remove unused devices
3. Revoke old access
4. Check sync logs
5. Monitor Storage
Check storage:
Settings → Sync → Storage
If approaching limit:
- Clean old versions
- Remove unused items
- Upgrade plan
Next Steps
- ⚙️ Settings Overview - All settings
- 🔐 Security Settings - Secure your sync
- 📤 Import/Export - Backup data
- 💾 Web Platform - Manage sync online