Index

Explain to me in simple terms what Nextcloud is and why I would want to use it, please?

Running Nextcloud

Technology

Nextcloud Community

Legal

Nextcloud for professional use

See also the Nextcloud Enterprise FAQ.

What is this Nextcloud thing? Why would I care?

Nextcloud is a file sharing server that puts the control and security of your own data back into your hands.

Today, most people have their digital life stored on online servers from various companies. Think Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, Instagram and many others. You uploaded your pictures, your music, your daily ramblings, happy and sad thoughts. You use these services to share with others, to send and receive emails, store address books, play music and video, have your files available on any device you want. All great features, no doubt! When your phone breaks, just having to log in to the new one to find all your pictures, contacts and other settings is an amazing and reassuring capability brought by these services, often (perhaps incorrectly) called 'the cloud'.

But you might wonder: "Where is this data? Who has access to it?"

These questions have become more pressing since the revelations that our own government is spying on us, and collecting and snooping into virtually all of our online communications.. We know that foreign and our own governments have access. Criminals and large corporations, too. This knowledge about us can be used and abused in many ways, for financial gain, for control, for harmless and harmful fun.

Many people prefer to have more control over who gets to see the photos they send to their spouse or friends, who gets to read their bank account statements or determine their political allegiance. Or know where they are - as mobile phones track your location pretty much continuously...

This is where Nextcloud and similar technologies come in. Nextcloud offers you the option to take back your data. Once you install it on a server (or let somebody do that for you! Decentralization is an important tool to protect privacy) you can access your private data in an easy to use web interface or synchronize it with your devices like Android and iPhones. You can store your contacts and calendar as well as files on Nextcloud and, through the many Nextcloud apps, use it to store passwords, play music and movies and so on. It also allows you to securely share with other people and collaborate on documents. Learn more about Nextcloud features for home users here.

All this is free, as Nextcloud is available under an 'open source license', which gives you the right to examine, share and modify it. Nextcloud is developed by an international community of both paid and volunteer contributors and you can get involved, too.

Things Nextcloud does not do

Note that Nextcloud is NOT a backup tool: the desktop client, for example, will synchronize the contents of a local folder with the server. That works for file modifications and additions, but also deletions. If you delete a file on the server, it gets deleted on all devices that you installed the client on! And if you delete a file on the client, it gets deleted on the server and then deleted on other clients that were syncing that file. Nextcloud does have a trash for deleted files and retains older versions of files, which means deleted or modified files can be brought back. But this functionality can be disabled by the system administrator and depending on the space usage settings, deleted or older versions of files get deleted over time. You should always backup your Nextcloud server!

Similarly, note that External Storage and the Server to Server sharing which Nextcloud supports, connects Nextcloud to an external storage like FTP or Samba, or to another Nextcloud server. Files will show up in your web interface and can be synced with the client. However, they are not replicated on your Nextcloud server! They are merely fetched whenever you request them in the web interface. Once the external storage disappears or the other Nextcloud server retracts your access, you can no longer access the files! Make a copy if you want to have them on your own Nextcloud server.

See what Nextcloud can do in this video

Running Nextcloud

Where do I find information on how to use/install Nextcloud?

I have a problem, what do I do?

Where can I discuss ideas with other Nextcloud users?

The best places for conversation are:

If you have a feature request or proposal which you can support with code, check out our contribute page. You can put feature requests in the issue tracker but please be aware that in open source projects like Nextcloud, the constraint is rarely ideas or awareness of what can be improved but rather time to work on them. Contributing is the best way of making change happen!

Note that Bountysource offers a way of backing feature requests with your wallet.

If you want to connect with other Nextcloud users and enthusiasts, check out our social media channels.

I want to upgrade my Nextcloud installation to the new release, how do I do that?

Is it safe to upgrade to the new release?

All code entering Nextcloud has been reviewed twice as well as tested by both automated means and through the efforts of volunteers. Releases are done only when all issues we are aware of are fixed or can be mitigated easily. In short, Nextcloud releases are always as stable as we could make it without your help. If you want the guarantee that it will work in your specific situation, make sure you help test before a release is made so your issue can be fixed in time.

Why do we need your testing?

In short: because Nextcloud is yours. Nextcloud is an Open Source product, following an open development model. That means that many different stakeholders, both commercial and private, contribute to its development and share responsibility for the final release. Nextcloud is thus neither owned nor controlled by any single entity.

By using Nextcloud, you become part of the Nextcloud community, sharing both ownership and responsibility for the product we collectively develop. Compare it to your responsibility for the functioning of your car: you regularly have to test it, or hire a garage for a checkup. It is yours, isn't it?

If I have my Nextcloud server hosted, does that still help me protect my privacy?

Technology

Why does Nextcloud use csync rather than rsync?

Why is Nextcloud Server written in PHP?

Nextcloud is for everybody. We picked PHP because: In short, PHP lowers the barrier for using, auditing, modifying and contributing to Nextcloud. And that is important!
See more details in this blog about Nextcloud and PHP.

Why do you use HTTP and not another protocol?

Why does the calendar/contacts app not work with Android?

Why does the Android/iOS mobile app not support my favorite feature?

Why are Calendar and Contacts (or another app) not shipped with the zip file, are they not part of Nextcloud?

We have four types of apps: Core, Official, Approved and Experimental. To keep the official zip file of a reasonable size, we only ship the core functionality. Other apps are, however, just one click away!

This is what the four categories mean:

Changes of status can happen following the rules documented here. In simple words, the better maintained an app is, the more fitting an 'official' label is. If a company, be it Nextcloud, Inc. due to customer demand, or another company, decides to dedicate resources to maintaining an app, it could become part of core. Your help thus matters!

How Secure is Nextcloud?

Does the long list of security advisories mean Nextcloud is less secure than other solutions?

Rather the opposite. It signals that Nextcloud is a mature project taking responsibility for its security.

Are files encrypted during sync?

Does Nextcloud support file encryption on the server?

Can I use Nextcloud as a backup solution?

No, Nextcloud is absolutely not a backup solution:

You should use a backup application to store the files in Nextcloud somewhere. The Nextcloud documentation has tips on how to back up Nextcloud.

Why do I sometimes get conflict files and messages while syncing?

Does Nextcloud use delta-sync (only syncing file changes)?

Does Nextcloud do file de-duplication?

Why is Nextcloud syncing not faster?

Does Nextcloud scale to large deployments?

Is Nextcloud Server limited to a certain number of users or files and do I have to purchase something to get a 'full' version?

Nextcloud is open source, so artificial limitations have no place in it. It can sustain the same number of users, downloads or data as a version equipped with enterprise apps and a support contract.

Nextcloud Community

Where is the Nextcloud community hosted?

How big is the Nextcloud Community?

How did Nextcloud get started?

How can I get involved in the Nextcloud Community?

But what if I'm not very technical?

How can I get started writing mobile (Android, iOS) clients or third party (web) apps?

Where can I find Nextcloud apps?

Where can I find Nextcloud t-shirts, stickers and other swag?

Legal

DISCLAIMER: The answers below are general directions, not legal advice and we can not provide such. Contact a lawyer if you are unsure about any of this.

Can I modify Nextcloud and run it on my website for others to use/access?

Nextcloud Server is available under the AGPLv3. In laymen terms (this is NOT legal advice!) the AGPL license grants you the right to run the Nextcloud code wherever and however you want, make modifications and additions and share these with anybody you like. The only limitation is that if you give others access to your Nextcloud (by giving them a user account or sharing files with them), you must also give them access to the source code; and the whole source (including your modifications) has to be under the AGPLv3 license.

How to comply

If you have made no modifications to the Nextcloud code, the easiest way to comply with the AGPL is to have a small link to nextcloud.org and note that users can find the code there.

If you have made modifications, contributing these to Nextcloud is sufficient from our point of view. If you don't want or can't do that, you have to provide a way for users to download the modifications you made to Nextcloud, including the modifications. Providing, upon request, a tarball, zip file or github repository is enough. Make sure they contain the copyright notice; the code has to be under the AGPLv3 or a compatible license like the MIT license.

Some examples:

Can I write closed source or proprietary apps for Nextcloud Server?

I want to report a copyright infringement or other legal matter on a site that mentions use of Nextcloud.

Can I use the Nextcloud logo on my website, for my Nextcloud app or client, or promotional materials?

Nextcloud for professional use

Can I use Nextcloud in professional, large scale deployments?

What resources exist to support my deployment?

What is the Standard Subscription and Enterprise Subscription?

Which solution is best for me?

How do the community and company work together?

Check out nextcloud.com and nextcloud.org/history for more information.

What customers does Nextcloud, Inc. have?