# Synch plugin for Obsidian This Obsidian plugin by hjinco brings real-time, end-to-end encrypted vault sync with a one-click deployment: instead of running your own server, you deploy it to a free [[Cloudflare]] account in a few clicks. Desktop and mobile real-time sync, file version history, recovery of deleted files, and automatic conflict merging. It syncs Markdown, images, audio, video, and PDFs by default, with optional hidden-folder and `.obsidian` settings sync. The architecture: - **[[Cloudflare]] all the way down.** Encrypted files live in R2; a Durable Object per vault keeps clients connected over WebSockets and pushes change notifications; [[Cloudflare Workers]] handle auth and API. Fits in the free tier. The flip side: this is NOT vendor-independent self-hosting; no Docker, no [[Synology NAS]], no S3-compatible alternative, because the sync logic depends on Durable Objects. - **The server never sees plaintext and never merges.** Clients decrypt three versions locally (last synced, local, latest remote) and do a standard three-way line-based merge. Same-line conflicts produce a timestamped conflict file instead of silent overwrites. Deliberately NOT a CRDT: the author judged CRDT-plus-E2EE too complex, which is a sound engineering trade-off. - **Sync, not backup.** Deletions sync too; the author himself recommends keeping separate backups. Worth knowing: [[Steph Ango]] flagged the name as too close to the core Sync plugin, so it will be renamed before returning to the community directory (BRAT installs work meanwhile). For my own setup, I'll continue to use [[Syncthing]], since I also need it for other purposes. But for someone who wants encrypted cloud sync without paying for Obsidian Sync or administering a complex setup, this plugin is worth evaluating. ## References - GitHub: https://github.com/hjinco/synch - Website: https://synch.run/ - Reddit announcement: https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/1v9v3k9/i_built_a_realtime_endtoend_encrypted_sync_plugin/ ## Related - [[Obsidian Sync]] - [[Syncthing]] - [[Cloudflare]] - [[Cloudflare Workers]]