Wanted to share with you what I've just launched, after 4 years on it, and a little background story:
I love Dropbox, but the fact that my data is on somebody else’s server bothered me a lot. I tried to find the same app that allowed me to choose where to put my data.
I tried the likes of Synology, MyCloud WD, ownCloud, Syncthing, Resilio, Duplicty, rsync,...
The software that gives you an easy experience isn’t private, and the software that gives you privacy is a pain in the ass to use. The rest is just extremely expensive (e.g. Synology).
So I decided to build the tool I was looking for for myself. Then as I realised a lot of people around me wanted it as well, I decided to turn it into a full-time project to make a living out of it.
Technically speaking, I built a Dropbox style app plugged to a Git (kind of) repository. You just tell the app where the repository is, and you're connected to the cloud. Anything that can store files can be converted into a private cloud.
I also built an automatic configuration module to configure automatically the standard file sharing capabilities of the internet router to work with the app.
In a nutshell, it allows non-technical people to create a private cloud in their home using a USB stick / hard drive plugged into their internet connection, in 3 clicks.
You can also download it and try it out, feedback would be much appreciated!
PS: I open sourced everything (servers, interface, etc...) except the core library containing the algorithms, reason being that the core library is our only competitive advantage.
Ask me anything, I'll be around :-)
A little about me: I'm Greg, I'm an ex-professional hacker (More info about me here: https://www.alvarez.io)
"Private cloud" in the meaning that only you, the devices you allow or the people you share a file with have access to the data. It means that you have full ownership (you own the storage where your cloud is stored) over your data. Duple (the company) can't access anything from your cloud.
The repository is reachable from internet if you want to (access from anywhere feature), but it's not obligatory (you can decide to have it only on your local network, or only on one computer).
The traffic is always direct, it never goes through our side (no servers or relay).
So, if I make a "local" cloud (i.e. accessible from local network only) it continues working even with no internet connection (i.e. it is essentially a NAS replacement)?
Then, if I want to access it also from remote (access from anywhere) what is "exposed" to the outside world? (I mean open ports, NAT settings, etc.).
And which kind of login/credentials are used/needed for access?
Yes, it will continue to work without internet. NAS and clouds are different things, a NAS is just a USB drive over the network, a cloud gives you more functionalities (versioning, backup, sync, collaborative folder, etc...).
What is exposed to the outside world (port forwarding) depends on your configuration. If you use SFTP, you will need to forward 22 towards your "local" cloud. If you store your cloud on the router, it will more likely be FTPS, and there will be no need for port forwarding.
You will need login/password/ip of the storage, and in the future when we implement E2EE, the password of your cloud.
First of all, congratulations, I'm sure these are exciting times!
One question, if I got it right, at least some of these features overlap with nextcloud. Why should I pay for your solution if nextcloud offers something at least very similar for free?
Nextcloud isn't for non-technical users, + even then it's a big pain to set up and configure. (That's also why I built Duple, to have something plug and play).
What we have with Duple is a full private Dropbox, no complicated installation, no server needed. You just plug your storage anywhere and it works.
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[ 0.21 ms ] story [ 30.2 ms ] threadWanted to share with you what I've just launched, after 4 years on it, and a little background story:
I love Dropbox, but the fact that my data is on somebody else’s server bothered me a lot. I tried to find the same app that allowed me to choose where to put my data.
I tried the likes of Synology, MyCloud WD, ownCloud, Syncthing, Resilio, Duplicty, rsync,...
The software that gives you an easy experience isn’t private, and the software that gives you privacy is a pain in the ass to use. The rest is just extremely expensive (e.g. Synology).
So I decided to build the tool I was looking for for myself. Then as I realised a lot of people around me wanted it as well, I decided to turn it into a full-time project to make a living out of it.
Technically speaking, I built a Dropbox style app plugged to a Git (kind of) repository. You just tell the app where the repository is, and you're connected to the cloud. Anything that can store files can be converted into a private cloud.
I also built an automatic configuration module to configure automatically the standard file sharing capabilities of the internet router to work with the app.
In a nutshell, it allows non-technical people to create a private cloud in their home using a USB stick / hard drive plugged into their internet connection, in 3 clicks.
Here's the website if you want to check it out: https://www.duple.io/
You can also download it and try it out, feedback would be much appreciated!
PS: I open sourced everything (servers, interface, etc...) except the core library containing the algorithms, reason being that the core library is our only competitive advantage.
Ask me anything, I'll be around :-)
A little about me: I'm Greg, I'm an ex-professional hacker (More info about me here: https://www.alvarez.io)
I.e. is the repository "local only" or exposed to and reachable from the internet?
And if this latter, is traffic "direct" or does it go anyway through the duple site/portal/server/whatever?
The repository is reachable from internet if you want to (access from anywhere feature), but it's not obligatory (you can decide to have it only on your local network, or only on one computer).
The traffic is always direct, it never goes through our side (no servers or relay).
Then, if I want to access it also from remote (access from anywhere) what is "exposed" to the outside world? (I mean open ports, NAT settings, etc.).
And which kind of login/credentials are used/needed for access?
What is exposed to the outside world (port forwarding) depends on your configuration. If you use SFTP, you will need to forward 22 towards your "local" cloud. If you store your cloud on the router, it will more likely be FTPS, and there will be no need for port forwarding.
You will need login/password/ip of the storage, and in the future when we implement E2EE, the password of your cloud.
One question, if I got it right, at least some of these features overlap with nextcloud. Why should I pay for your solution if nextcloud offers something at least very similar for free?
Nextcloud isn't for non-technical users, + even then it's a big pain to set up and configure. (That's also why I built Duple, to have something plug and play). What we have with Duple is a full private Dropbox, no complicated installation, no server needed. You just plug your storage anywhere and it works.