You can self-host Firefox sync
this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025
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Privacy
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Last time I heard about the possibility it seemed a bit hacky, did it get easier by now?
No idea - this is my firefox sync NixOS config, in its entirety:
age.secrets.ffsync.rekeyFile = secrets.ffsync;
services.firefox-syncserver = {
enable = true;
secrets = config.age.secrets.ffsync.path;
settings.hostname = "localhost";
singleNode = {
enable = true;
hostname = "0.0.0.0";
capacity = 2;
};
};
I wonder if it still needs account management on Mozilla server or on your own. May I?
Yeaaaaaaahh the auth thing is really, really complicated to selfhost. There's a docker project out there that apparently makes it possible, but.... No idea. FOr the time being I still use FF's auth - that's still an improvement though: Mozilla knows that I am logging in / from what kind of device, but not the content or amount of what I sync.
Have a look at YunoHost.
Can I self host it from termux for localhost only?? Without need of domain and other resources??
Probably... I mean, I'd at least start it in a systemd service, but sure, you don't need a domain.
But of course your mobile won't be able to access that domain outside your network
You say you've already read Librewolf's FAQ, so I can skip over what they've provided in their response.
The only possible downside I could see would be that your encrypted data is stored on Mozilla servers. Which isn't a very major downside--it's properly end-to-end-encrypted. This is mentioned both by Mozilla themselves, as well as in the Librewolf docs. This is the only downside I can see right now, but for the paranoid, it might be worth looking toward the future; who knows, maybe some day, Firefox will randomly decide to disable E2EE for Firefox sync. That could be a potential downside down the road. But I find that to be pretty unrealistic... I honestly can't see a lot of ways for Mozilla to screw this up.
If the prospect of relying on Mozilla servers still makes you uncomfortable, then you can self-host a sync server, but it's not exactly a quick setup. They do provide a Docker method of installation, at least. The sync server code is found here, along with installation instructions for self-hosting and how to connect it to Firefox/Librewolf/other derivatives: https://github.com/mozilla-services/syncstorage-rs
I've set up the sync server but it is definitely a pain in the ass.
So I should use ffsync for now i guess. Is there any info regarding what unencrypted metadata they can link to me i use ff account?
what can be downsides?
The same that pushed you to stop using FF the browser to begin with?
I mean, if you worry about FF/Mozilla doing naughty things with your browsing data, should you not worry as much if not more about the data you ask them to sync for you and save on their very own servers?
For the time being, it's not a definitive decision as I'm waiting to see what they will do next, I've quit using FF (using Waterfox instead) and for me not using FF obviously also meant to stop using their sync feature.
But i heard Sync feature encrypts data on client side And it is end to end encrypt
You still need to log into their servers and thus provide them a lot of meta-data, like IP addresses, when and approximatly where you are using your browser, on how many devices etc.
Hmm,
Will self hosting sync solve the problem??
Btw this metadat collection will happen anyway if you use addons (though not linked to your account)?
Yes, in theory, but in praxis no because self-hosting the sync server alone still depends on the centralized auth server from Mozilla, and self-hosting that as well is possible but complicated. It's sadly a mess, and you might be better off not using Firefox sync at all.
As for your other question, depends on the specific addon, but usually no.
I just set up my own sync server. It is dead simple with docker compose and pretty well described on their git page.
Getting my own auth server up and running was a bit more difficult, but it is absolutely doable. There a a few ppl who have made scripts to ease the task. You can find them on github.
That’s like not using Google but using drive
It's nothing at all like using Drive, because the payload is encrypted.
Is not ffsync encrypted?? I guess the downside is
- Unencrypted metadata
- Projected future
I use filen actively
But, how to use it as an Alternative to firefox sync??
Firefox, same as any other Browser, has a local folder with all the settings, bookmarks and passwords, this is the folder which you have to sync with your other devices. Firefox sync don't do other thing, but with Mozilla and not with Filen.
But I cannot access this folder on Android? Otherwise I had used Syncthing.
In this case the only alternative is to use Vivaldi instead of FF forks, it has an own EE2E no knowledge sync in all devices.
Wont work if its PC Smartphone combo
Shameless plug about my own lemmy post about filebased FF sync: https://lemmy.ml/post/27254722