Cloud Sync (Shared Hosting)

Obsidian plugin for bidirectional note synchronization via your own shared hosting account with PHP support.

Keep full control over your data — no third-party cloud services required. If you already have a hosting plan with PHP, you can turn it into a private sync server for Obsidian.

Features

• Bidirectional sync — upload and download changes automatically
• Conflict detection — creates a local conflict copy when both devices modify the same file
• Auto-sync on save — changed files are synced within 2 seconds (configurable)
• Manual sync — trigger sync from the ribbon icon or command palette
• Multi-device support — device names for clear conflict identification
• Works on desktop and mobile — not limited to desktop only
• Multilingual UI — English and Russian

How it works

The plugin communicates with a lightweight PHP backend installed on your hosting. Files are tracked by SHA-256 hashes and modification timestamps. During sync the plugin:

1. Compares local and remote file hashes
2. Uploads new/changed local files to the server
3. Downloads new/changed remote files to the vault
4. Detects conflicts and creates *.conflict-<device>-<timestamp>.md copies
5. Propagates file deletions across devices

Requirements

• Obsidian 1.0.0 or later
• Shared hosting with PHP 7.4+ and mod_rewrite enabled
• The backend server component: Obsidian-Cloud-Sync-Server

Installation

Server side

1. Download or clone Obsidian-Cloud-Sync-Server
2. Upload the contents of public_html to your hosting (e.g. https://example.com/ or a subdirectory)
3. Make sure mod_rewrite is enabled and .htaccess is allowed (AllowOverride All)

Plugin side

From Community Plugins (recommended)

1. Open Settings → Community plugins → Browse
2. Search for Cloud Sync (Shared Hosting)
3. Click Install, then Enable

Manual installation

1. Download main.js, manifest.json and styles.css from the latest release
2. Create a folder <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/cloud-sync-shared-hosting/
3. Place the downloaded files into that folder
4. Restart Obsidian and enable the plugin in Settings → Community plugins

Configuration

Open Settings → Cloud Sync (Shared Hosting) and fill in:

Setting	Description
Server URL	The URL where you installed the backend (e.g. https://example.com)
Username	Your account username (created on the server)
Password	Your account password
Device name	A label for this device (auto-generated if empty)
Sync on save	Toggle automatic sync after every file save
Language	Interface language: English or Russian

After entering credentials, click Login. Once authenticated the plugin stores a session token — you don't need to re-enter the password.

Commands

Command	Description
Cloud Sync: Sync now	Run a full bidirectional sync
Cloud Sync: Login / reconnect	Re-authenticate with the server

Backend

The server component is a standalone PHP application designed to run on any shared hosting plan:

• No database required — files are stored directly on disk
• Minimal PHP dependencies — works with standard PHP 7.4+
• Low resource usage — suitable for cheap shared hosting plans
• Private — your notes never leave your own server

Repository: Obsidian-Cloud-Sync-Server

Security

• Authentication via username/password with token-based sessions
• All API requests use Bearer token authorization
• HTTPS is strongly recommended for production use

Development

cd obsidian-cloud-sync-plugin
npm install
npm run dev    # watch mode
npm run build  # production build

License

MIT