tristanteu/stellwerk repository overview

⁠Stellwerk: central web UI to manage Syncthing on all your devices

Self-hosted control center for Syncthing: pair devices, share folders and set paths for every PC from one web UI.
A small agent on each device brings its own Syncthing and follows what the server says; a hub Syncthing on the server keeps a full copy of every folder.
Open source, no cloud, no clicking "accept" on every machine.

docker compose up -d && docker compose exec -T stellwerk stellwerk set-password <<< 'a long password'

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Install⁠ • Why⁠ • Features⁠ • Screenshots⁠ • Alternatives⁠ • FAQ⁠ • Documentation⁠

⁠💡 Why Stellwerk?

Syncthing has no central management: every device is set up in its own web UI, and every new share has to be accepted on the other side. Resilio Sync offers a management console, but only commercially and closed source.

• Configure once, on the server: pair a device, pick folders, modes and paths; both sides are set up automatically.
• No standstill when a PC is off: the server is a member of every folder and holds a full copy, so changes reach a device as soon as it is back.
• A clear overview: folders × devices as one matrix, sync status at a glance.
• Syncthing does the syncing: proven, encrypted transfer; Stellwerk only steers it.

Server: Linux with Docker or Podman (amd64 and arm64: a NAS, a mini PC, a Raspberry Pi 4/5, a VPS). Devices: Linux, Windows and macOS.

⁠🚀 Install

On the server, a compose.yaml (the hub address is where your devices reach the server):

services:
  stellwerk:
    image: tristanteu/stellwerk:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports: ["8080:8080", "22001:22001"]   # web UI and agents; sync port of the hub
    environment:
      STELLWERK_HUB_ADDRESS: tcp://nas.local:22001
    volumes: ["stellwerk:/data"]
volumes:
  stellwerk:

docker compose up -d
docker compose exec -T stellwerk stellwerk set-password <<< 'a long password'

Open http://nas.local:8080, click Pair device and run the one command it shows in a terminal on each device, as the normal user. It downloads the agent, pairs it and starts it:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/firsttris/stellwerk/releases/download/vX.Y.Z/install.sh | sh -s -- http://nas.local:8080 K7Q2-MX9P-41TZ

On Windows the dialog shows the same as a PowerShell command; there is also an installer that asks for the address and the code. Podman Quadlet, a reverse proxy with HTTPS, backups and updates are in the installation guide⁠; a step-by-step first run is in Getting started⁠.

⁠✨ Features

⁠🗺️ One matrix for everything

• Folders × devices: one click per cell switches between both directions, send only, receive only and off.
• Drafts: changes collect until you apply them, then go out as one numbered revision.
• Offline devices catch up: a device that is off gets the new configuration and the files as soon as it is back; the cell says "waiting" until then.

⁠🔗 Pairing without clicking on every PC

• One command per device: "Pair device" shows a command with a code valid for 15 minutes; it downloads the agent, pairs it and starts it, and the device appears in the UI by itself.
• Your own CA works too: behind a private CA (e.g. Caddy's tls internal) the command carries the CA's fingerprint, and the agent trusts it without any setup on the device.
• In the LAN without a code: stellwerk-agent join finds the Zentrale over mDNS; the device waits under "Waiting devices" until you approve it, after comparing its fingerprint.
• Runs in the background: stellwerk-agent service install (or the Windows installer) starts the agent at login as the current user, without admin rights, on Linux, macOS and Windows.
• Signed sign-in: after pairing, the agent signs in with its own Ed25519 key; a device can be blocked or removed in the UI.

⁠🗄️ The server holds everything

• Hub in every folder: the server keeps a full copy of each folder, with versions for a year.
• Live status: progress per folder and device, what an offline device will get, and an activity feed ("laptop changed 18 files in Projects").
• Conflicts solved in one place: both versions side by side with a diff; keep one or both, the other stays in the versions. Any older version of a file can be restored.
• German and English, following the browser or switched in the sidebar.
• Your Syncthing stays yours: the agent brings its own Syncthing on its own ports and never touches a Syncthing you already run.

⁠📸 Screenshots

⁠🔀 Stellwerk and the alternatives

Stellwerk is made for one admin who wants all their own devices synced through their own server.

⁠❓ FAQ

⁠Is there a central management UI for Syncthing?

Yes, that is what Stellwerk is for: one web UI on your server that configures Syncthing on all your devices. There is no release yet, but it can be built from source; see Install⁠.

⁠Does it change my existing Syncthing?

No. The agent brings its own Syncthing with its own configuration and ports and leaves a Syncthing you already run alone.

⁠Can I add devices that run plain Syncthing, like a phone?

Not yet. Every device needs the agent, which runs on Linux, Windows and macOS. Android and iOS are not supported.

⁠Does it run on a Synology, Unraid or Raspberry Pi?

Anywhere Docker or Podman runs on Linux with amd64 or arm64: a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with a 64-bit OS, Unraid, a Synology with Container Manager. The server needs disk space for a full copy of every folder.

⁠Do the devices need admin rights or open ports?

No. The agent runs as the normal user and starts at login; devices only connect out to the server. Only the server needs two ports open: the web port (behind HTTPS) and the hub's sync port.

⁠Is my data encrypted?

In transit, yes: Syncthing encrypts every transfer with TLS and accepts only known devices; the web UI and the agents' connection go through your HTTPS proxy. On the server, the hub keeps a normal copy of every folder, so protect the server like the devices. Details in Security⁠.

⁠What happens if the server is down?

The devices keep their files and their last configuration. Changes wait on each device and sync as soon as the server is back.

⁠📚 Documentation

The full documentation, with search, is at firsttris.github.io/stellwerk⁠.

⁠🛠️ Development

Requires Rust (stable), Node 22 and pnpm.

git clone https://github.com/firsttris/stellwerk && cd stellwerk
pnpm install && pnpm dev:demo   # the UI on demo data, no server needed
cargo test                      # downloads the pinned Syncthing once and runs real instances
pnpm e2e                        # Playwright against the UI in demo mode

Rust workspace: protocol (messages, desired state), engine (Syncthing control and reconciler), agent, zentrale (axum, SQLite); React UI in web/, embedded into the Zentrale. Running a real Zentrale and agent locally, the tests and releases: Development⁠.

⁠🤝 Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome. A good bug report names the OS, the Stellwerk and Syncthing versions and what the Zentrale showed. Please run cargo fmt --all --check, cargo clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings, cargo test and pnpm check before opening a pull request.