# Proposed new encrypted node type

**URL:** https://forum.syncthing.net/t/proposed-new-encrypted-node-type/12800
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [January 31, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/proposed-new-encrypted-node-type/12800 "2019-01-31T15:54:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 2

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### Author: ![wweich](https://forum.syncthing.net/user_avatar/forum.syncthing.net/wweich/32/1063_2.png) [@wweich](https://forum.syncthing.net/u/wweich)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/proposed-new-encrypted-node-type/12800/2 "2019-01-31T16:43:39Z")

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You are not the first suggesting such a feature:

> <https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing/issues/109>
>
> So I have had a look at BitTorrent sync, syncthing and alternatives and what I a…lways wondered about was the possibility to not only sync between resources I own and trust, but also external resources/servers which I do NOT trust with my data, up to a certain extent.
> 
> One way to do this is using ecryptfs or encfs, but this has many obvious downsides: it is not an interoperable solution (only works on Linux), the files are actually stored in encrypted form on the disk (even if the resource is trusted and this is not necessary, for instance because of the file system being encrypted already), etc.
> 
> What I propose is somehow configuring nodes which are only sent the files in an encrypted format, with all file contents (and potentially file/directory names as well; or even permissions) being encrypted. This way, if I want to store my private files on a fast server in a datacenter to access them from anywhere, I could do this with syncthing without essentially giving up ownership of those files. I could also prevent that particular sync node from being allowed/able to make any changes to the files without me noticing.
> 
> I realize that this requires a LOT of additional effort, but it would be a killer feature that seems to not be available in any other "private cloud" solution so far. What are your thoughts on this feature?
> 
> EDIT: BitTorrent sync mentions a feature like this in their API docs: "Encryption secret
> API users can generate folder secrets with encrypted peer support. Encryption secrets are read-only. They make Sync data encrypted on the receiver’s side. Recipients can sync files, but they can’t see file content, and they can’t modify the files. Encryption secrets come in handy if you need to sync to an untrusted location." (from http://www.bittorrent.com/intl/de/sync/developers/api)

[https://www.bountysource.com/issues/1474343-support-for-file-encryption-e-g-non-trusted-servers](https://www.bountysource.com/issues/1474343-support-for-file-encryption-e-g-non-trusted-servers)

> [@Untrusted storage: is it possible?](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/untrusted-storage-is-it-possible/178/):
>
> Is it possible to setup a node in a way that it get the files but not decrypted?. Like giving a special hash/id to a friend or setup a server with reliable but untrusted storage, and have that node get the data but encrypted? Cheers,

> [@Encryption for remote syncthing device](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/encryption-for-remote-syncthing-device/2820/):
>
> Hi, I don’t think this is possible so this is more of a feature request, unless there’s a way to do this using 3rd party apps…I’d like to run a syncthing device on my VPS cloud server (digital ocean in my case) but I’d like to have the entire folder encrypted since it will not be in my physical control. I know traffic between devices is encrypted via TLS but the files themselves will be sitting there unencrypted. Any way to have seamless encryption of files on a device? I’m not too concerned …

> [@Encrypted nodes (please test)](https://forum.syncthing.net/t/encrypted-nodes-please-test/5295/):
>
> Copied from bountysource ([https://www.bountysource.com/issues/1474343-support-for-file-encryption-e-g-non-trusted-servers](https://www.bountysource.com/issues/1474343-support-for-file-encryption-e-g-non-trusted-servers)). Check out the source code here: [https://github.com/Lennix/syncthing](https://github.com/Lennix/syncthing) Hey guys, I’ve been working on this about a week now and it’s working quite well. Let me tell you how to set it up: #Setup On your client you add a new folder like usually, but check the “Encrypt” box on the lower left. A random generated 32 byte (256bit) passphrase will appear and you should write it d…

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