Sync data from mobile phone with rsync

published: 2018-08-16
title: sync data from mobile phone with rsync
tags: wiki, miscellaneous

previous [‘How to browse blocked sites with Adblocker’] next [‘Truth vs. Theory’] parent directory [‘Blog’]

I’m quite fond about having a google-free phone. I run a lineage OS[4] without g-apps, use my own caldav and carddav server to sync my contacts and calendars, can find every software I need in the F-Droid[5] app and live happy ever since.

lineage [‘lineage OS’] fdroid [‘F-Droid’]

However, what has bugged me was synchronization of personal photos and videos. I did several attempts to solve that using webdav (owncloud/nextcloud), but my phone was not happy with the available clients and the battery would not last very long.

I now have a setup that allows me secure synchronization that I’m quite happy with, using rsync from my phone to server. It’s simple and slim and feels just too familiar to be a bad idea.

Termux - Terminal Emulator and Linux Environment

Termux[6] is what I’ve been looking for on Android for a long time. Native Linux on my phone would be priceless, but the ease of use and installation makes Termux a more than good compromise. It comes with a nifty packet manager and allows me to run small Python and R scripts including web-scraping etc. on the fly.

termux [‘Termux’]

You can get Termux for free in the Google Playstore, the extensions however will cost around 2$ (which is okay, you’ll support some really good work!). Using the F-Droid app you can install the extensions for free.

I also installed the extension Termux:Widget that allows to start scripts via single tap from home screen - a very handy addition, I use it to reboot my raspberry pi or wake-on-lan my computer that’s in the basement.

Set up rsync

To set up Termux for this task, install rsync first:

pkg install rsync

Generate a key-pair (I just use the defaults):

ssh-keygen

Per default this will create the files id_rsa and id_rsa.pub in your ~/.ssh directory. Make sure to put the contents of id_rsa.pub into the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file on your target server.

And set up the Termux storage:

termux-setup-storage

Create a folder for the Termux:Widget shortcuts and create the script:

mkdir .shortcuts
echo "rsync -h -r --info=progress2 ~/storage/dcim/* robin@<myserver>:/<path_to_my_rsync_folder>" > .shortcuts/sync

Conclusion

With the Termux widget this simple setup allows stable and quick sync of my data that leaves me with a few worries less. In fact I set this up on my wife’s phone as well, since it’s working so nicely.