- About Firefox data synchronization
- What do I want to sync
- Selected solution: Floccus + Nextcloud
- Prerequisites
- Good to know about Bookmarks usage
- Setup and use Floccus
- Bookmarks and Bookmarks Bar
- Sync on a new device
- Prerequisites :
- Configuration :
- Next step : passwords
About Firefox data synchronization
Some time ago, in a galaxy not far far away... there was a tool called firefox sync server.
There are still proof of his existence here.
It was offering the possibility of synchronizing Bookmarks, Open Tabs, History, Passwords, Add-ons (Extensions), Preferences and Settings, Open Websites (Tabs) from Devices, Pocket, Custom Dictionary.
At the time, I was way too much a jack of all trades, master of none... and I never finished experimenting this solution.
And it got discontinued, because of the availability of a Firefox Sync with a Mozilla account, so that all these items can be synced somewhere on someone else's server.
(Yep, passwords included... :/)
It occurs that an alternative in rust called syncstorage-rs has been created and is currently maintained.
Nevertheless, even without having some safeties set on paranoïa, I'm no ready to share my passwords anywhere.
What do I want to sync
I keep my passwords in keepass, I don't need to have them synced, but I have enough different devices, and different operating systems, to wish to be able to keep my bookmarks in sync. And if there can be more, let's have it.
Selected solution: Floccus + Nextcloud
Floccus : https://floccus.org/
Nextcloud : https://nextcloud.com/
Nextcloud Bookmarks App : https://apps.nextcloud.com/apps/bookmarks
The drawback - or possible point of failure - is of course the Nextcloud App.
Same as the Nextcloud News (RSS Reader) App has been struggling to maintain compatibility with newer Nextcloud releases, if the Bookmarks App stops working with Nextcloud, I'll be screwed...
(But for now, let's hope for the best, as the author of Floccus and the Bookmarks App is the same person).
So... I want to focus on Floccus and make it work with my Nextcloud instance.
Prerequisites
A Nextcoud instance with the Bookmarks App installed.
I will not detail this here.
A managed instance can be used as well.
Good to know about Bookmarks usage
To complete
Setup and use Floccus
Bookmarks and Bookmarks Bar
Do they belong to the same profile or two different ones ?
Download the Floccus plug-in for firefox
Create a profile.
Export the profile (storing it on the Nextcloud instance could be a good idea). Then, import it on the target device and let it sync.
Job done.
Sync on a new device
Prerequisites :
- Firefox and the Floccus Firefox plug-in are installed
- Nextcloud is installed and the Bookmarks directory synchronized on the device
Configuration :
- Add a profile
- Import a profile (select the file that was synchronized from Nextcloud in the "Bookmarks" directory)
- After clicking on "open", a new tab is opened to confirm the profile has been imported. Just close this tab.
- The Bookmarks have now been synced in the current Firefox profile.
Next step : passwords
Having all bookmarks synchronized is great, but what about retyping all logins and passwords into the websites ?
TODO