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Synchronization Overview

Keep your hosts, settings, and snippets synchronized across all your devices with Xermius Cloud Sync.

Quick Start

Enable sync in 3 steps:

1. Settings → Synchronization
2. Sign in with account
3. Click "Enable Sync"

Done! Data syncs automatically

What Gets Synced

Synced data:

✓ Hosts & connection settings
✓ Port forwarding configs
✓ Snippets & categories
✓ Known hosts (SSH keys)
✓ Terminal preferences
✓ Application settings
✓ Notification preferences

Not synced (security):

✗ SSH private keys
✗ Saved passwords
✗ Master password
✗ Local files
✗ Terminal history
✗ Application logs

How Sync Works

Automatic Sync

Background process:
Every 5 minutes (configurable)

Triggers:
- On app startup
- After changes
- Before quit
- Manual sync

Seamless and invisible!

Sync Flow

Device A makes change:
1. Update local database
2. Mark as "needs sync"
3. Wait for sync interval
4. Upload to cloud
5. Cloud processes
6. Device B downloads
7. Device B updates
8. Both in sync ✓

Sync Status

Status Indicator

Top bar sync icon:

● Green = Synced (up to date)
○ Yellow = Syncing (in progress)
⚠ Red = Error (needs attention)
⏸ Gray = Paused (manual mode)

Status Details

Click sync icon:

┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Sync Status ● │
├────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Last Sync: 2 minutes ago │
│ Next Sync: In 3 minutes │
│ │
│ Synced Items: │
│ • 25 hosts │
│ • 47 snippets │
│ • 12 settings │
│ • 18 known hosts │
│ │
│ Devices: 3 active │
│ Storage: 2.3 MB / 100 MB │
│ │
│ [Sync Now] [Pause] [Settings] │
└────────────────────────────────────┘

Conflict Resolution

When Conflicts Happen

Example conflict:

Device A: Changed port 22 → 2222
Device B: Changed user root → admin
Same host, different changes

Result: Conflict detected!

Resolution Methods

1. Newest Wins (Default):

Automatically uses most recent
Fast and automatic
Works for most cases

2. Manual Resolution:

Shows both versions
You choose which to keep
Or merge both changes
More control

3. Device Priority:

Always prefer one device
Example: Desktop wins
Consistent behavior

Devices

View Devices

Settings → Sync → Devices

Connected Devices:
┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 💻 MacBook Pro (this device) │
│ Last sync: Now │
│ Status: Active │
│ │
│ 🖥 Windows Desktop │
│ Last sync: 5 minutes ago │
│ Status: Active │
│ [Remove] │
│ │
│ 📱 iPad │
│ Last sync: 2 days ago │
│ Status: Inactive │
│ [Remove] │
└────────────────────────────────────┘

Remove Device

Disconnect device:

1. Click [Remove]
2. Confirm removal
3. Device stops syncing
4. Data stays on device
5. Can reconnect anytime

Sync History

View History

Sync History:
┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Jan 17, 10:45 - Successful │
│ ↑ Uploaded: 2 hosts │
│ ↓ Downloaded: 1 snippet │
│ │
│ Jan 17, 10:40 - Successful │
│ ↓ Downloaded: 3 settings │
│ │
│ Jan 17, 10:35 - Conflict Resolved │
│ Host "prod" merged │
│ │
│ Jan 17, 10:30 - Failed │
│ Network timeout │
│ Retried automatically │
└────────────────────────────────────┘

Manual Sync

Force Sync Now

Click sync icon → Sync Now
or
Settings → Sync → Sync Now
or
Keyboard: Cmd+Shift+Y

Immediate sync
Useful before important work

Pause Sync

Click sync icon → Pause

Stops automatic sync
Manual sync only
Useful for:
- Working offline
- Prevent conflicts
- Testing changes

Sync Settings

Frequency

Sync Frequency:
○ Every 1 minute
● Every 5 minutes (default)
○ Every 15 minutes
○ Every hour
○ Manual only

Balance: Speed vs battery

Selective Sync

Choose what to sync:
[✓] Hosts
[✓] Snippets
[✓] Settings
[✓] Known hosts
[ ] Port forwarding
[ ] Notifications

Customize per needs

Bandwidth

Bandwidth Limits:
[ ] Limit upload: [___] KB/s
[ ] Limit download: [___] KB/s

Sync on:
[✓] WiFi
[✓] Ethernet
[ ] Mobile data

[Save]

Backup & Restore

Cloud Backup

Automatic backups:
[✓] Keep version history
Retention: 30 days
Max versions: 10

Manual backup:
[Create Backup Now]

Restore from Cloud

Restore Data:

Select restore point:
[Jan 17, 10:00 ▼]

Preview:
- 25 hosts
- 47 snippets
- 12 settings

[Preview Changes] [Restore]

Best Practices

1. Let Sync Finish

Before switching devices:
1. Make changes
2. Click "Sync Now"
3. Wait for green ●
4. Then switch

Prevents conflicts!

2. Check Sync Status

Daily habit:
- Glance at sync indicator
- Green ● = Good
- Red ⚠ = Fix it

Stay synced!

3. One Device at a Time

Avoid editing same item:
- Device A: Edit prod host
- Device A: Sync ✓
- Device B: Now edit

Sequential = No conflicts

4. Regular Backups

Weekly: Export local backup
Monthly: Verify cloud backup
Yearly: Full data export

Safety net!

5. Clean Up Devices

Remove old devices:
Settings → Sync → Devices
Remove unused ones
Better security

Troubleshooting

Sync Not Working

Quick fixes:

1. Check internet
2. Check account status
3. Click "Sync Now"
4. Restart app
5. Re-enable sync

Sync Stuck

If frozen:

1. Pause sync
2. Wait 10 seconds
3. Resume sync
4. Force sync now

Still stuck? Contact support

Conflict Every Time

Prevent conflicts:

1. Don't edit simultaneously
2. Use manual sync
3. Set device priority
4. Increase sync frequency

Lost Data

Recover:

1. Settings → Sync
2. Restore from Cloud
3. Select recent backup
4. Preview changes
5. Restore

Always recoverable!

Security

Encryption

End-to-end encrypted:
✓ Data encrypted locally
✓ Encrypted in transit
✓ Encrypted at rest
✓ Zero-knowledge

Server cannot read your data!

Privacy

What we store:
✓ Encrypted data blobs
✓ Sync metadata
✓ Device info (encrypted)

What we DON'T store:
✗ Your passwords
✗ SSH private keys
✗ Decrypted data
✗ Command history

Next Steps