# ownCloud — Self-Hosted File Sync and Sharing Platform

> A mature, enterprise-ready file sync and share platform that gives organizations full control over their data with desktop and mobile clients, file versioning, and granular sharing.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# ownCloud — Self-Hosted File Sync and Sharing Platform

## Quick Use
```bash
docker run -d -p 8080:8080 
  -v owncloud-data:/var/lib/docker/volumes/ocis-config 
  owncloud/ocis:latest
# Open http://localhost:8080 — default admin/admin
```

## Introduction
ownCloud is one of the original self-hosted file sync and share platforms. The newer Infinite Scale (oCIS) rewrite is a single Go binary that replaces the legacy PHP stack, delivering faster performance and a microservices architecture while maintaining the full file management feature set teams expect.

## What ownCloud Does
- Syncs files across desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and mobile (iOS, Android) clients
- Shares files and folders via links, user groups, or federated sharing across instances
- Provides file versioning with automatic conflict resolution
- Supports Spaces — team-scoped project folders with independent quotas and permissions
- Integrates with OnlyOffice and Collabora for collaborative document editing

## Architecture Overview
ownCloud Infinite Scale is written in Go and organized as a set of internal microservices that communicate via gRPC. It uses a storage driver abstraction that supports local disk, S3-compatible backends, or EOS. Authentication is handled by a built-in OpenID Connect provider (LibreGraph Connect). The web frontend is a Vue.js application served by the platform.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Run the official `owncloud/ocis` Docker image for the simplest deployment
- Alternatively download the single Go binary and run it directly on Linux
- Configure storage backends, SMTP, and OIDC settings via environment variables or YAML config
- Set `OCIS_URL` to your public domain and `PROXY_TLS` for HTTPS termination
- Use a reverse proxy like Nginx or Caddy in front for production TLS and caching

## Key Features
- Spaces for organizing team projects with independent permissions and quotas
- Full-text search across file contents powered by Apache Tika and Bleve
- Activity stream and audit logging for compliance and visibility
- Web Office integration with OnlyOffice or Collabora for real-time co-editing
- Federated sharing to exchange files with users on other ownCloud or Nextcloud instances

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Nextcloud** — forked from ownCloud in 2016 with broader app ecosystem; ownCloud oCIS is a ground-up Go rewrite focused on performance
- **Seafile** — strong sync performance; ownCloud offers richer web collaboration and Spaces
- **Syncthing** — peer-to-peer sync without a server; ownCloud adds sharing, web UI, and central management
- **Google Drive** — convenient SaaS but data lives on third-party infrastructure; ownCloud keeps everything on-premise

## FAQ
**Q: What is the difference between ownCloud 10 and Infinite Scale?**
A: ownCloud 10 is the legacy PHP application. Infinite Scale (oCIS) is the next-generation rewrite in Go, offering better performance, no PHP/MySQL dependency, and a microservices architecture.

**Q: Can I migrate from Nextcloud to ownCloud?**
A: There is no automated migration tool. Files can be moved via WebDAV or manual copy, but app-specific data would need re-creation.

**Q: Does ownCloud support end-to-end encryption?**
A: Yes. Desktop clients support client-side encryption for folders, ensuring the server never sees plaintext content.

**Q: What storage backends are supported?**
A: Local POSIX filesystem, S3-compatible object storage (MinIO, AWS S3), and CERN EOS for large-scale scientific deployments.

## Sources
- https://github.com/owncloud/core
- https://doc.owncloud.com/ocis/next/

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Author: AI Open Source