Sync Obsidian Notes with Synology

Obsidian, on top of being super user-friendly, has one extremely appealing selling point: it uses offline, open format files to manage content and extreme flexibility. That means I will always have my notes, and I can use them as I want. However, one challenge remains: how to keep these notes synchronised across multiple devices seamlessly without compromising for privacy.

You could use the sync feature of Obsidian, which is quite good and definitely worth the price tag. Or you can try the self-hosted way if you want to keep complete control over your data.

Why Synology Drive?

Synology Drive offers a private cloud solution that ensures your data remains secure and accessible. Unlike public cloud services, Synology Drive gives you complete control over your data and is super user-friendly: the QuickConnect function takes care of these pesky network settings, you can backup your data quite easily, and they support most of operation systems and mobile devices. On top of that, I worked there for four years, so I know the products quite well.

Setting Up Synology Drive

1. Install Synology Drive Server: Begin by installing the Synology Drive Server on your Synology NAS. This can be done through the Package Center on your NAS interface.
2. Create a Shared Folder: Set up a shared folder on your NAS where your Obsidian notes will be stored. Ensure that this folder has the necessary permissions for access.
3. Install Synology Drive Client: Download and install the Synology Drive Client on all devices you wish to sync. This client is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.

Syncing Obsidian Notes

1. Configure Sync Task: Open the Synology Drive Client and configure a new sync task. Select the shared folder on your NAS as the destination and the local folder where your Obsidian notes are stored as the source.
2. Bidirectional Sync: Ensure that the sync task is set to bidirectional. This means that any changes made on one device will be reflected across all devices, maintaining consistency.
3. Automatic Sync: Enable automatic sync to ensure that your notes are updated in real-time. This feature is particularly useful for those who frequently switch between devices.

And voilà!

Benefits of Using Synology Drive

• Data Privacy: With Synology Drive, your data is stored on your own NAS, giving you full control over who has access to it.
• Seamless Integration: The Synology Drive Client integrates seamlessly with your operating system, making it easy to manage and access your notes.
• Real-Time Sync: Changes made to your notes are synchronized in almost real-time, ensuring that you always have the latest version at your fingertips.
• Backup: all my notes are automatically backed up on multiple devices, so I don't need to worry about data loss.

Caveats

While it's quite fun and smooth, there are a couple of caveats to keep in mind.

• I need to sometimes force an update on my phone Synology Drive app, but I suspect it's because of my battery optimisation settings
• I only tried so far when I am not too far from my NAS, I wonder how it's going to work when I am in another continent, due to international bandwidth issues.
• To that extend, probably better to set file size limitations, especially on your mobile app, since I also sync while on mobile network.
• Notes are still unencrypted on your devices, and you also need to make sure your NAS is reasonably secured against attackers.
• It probably works well because I am a single user. For something more robust, you might probably need to consider the paid options or another solution.

Conclusion

Using Synology Drive to sync your Obsidian notes combines the best of both worlds: the powerful note-taking capabilities of Obsidian and the secure, private cloud storage of Synology. By following the steps outlined above, you can create a tech-savvy, interconnected network of notes that are always in sync, no matter where you are.