FaynoSync
March 16, 2026 · View on GitHub
📖 Overview
faynoSync is a self-hosted, open-source API server for managing and updating cross-platform desktop applications (Windows, macOS, Linux). It enables automatic and on-demand updates for client software, making it easy to deliver new versions to users through a customizable update workflow.
The server allows developers to upload application builds to S3, set version metadata, and expose a simple REST API for clients to check for updates. When a client queries the API, it receives version information and a download URL if an update is available.
faynoSync supports both background updates and manual update prompts, depending on how the client integrates with the API. This gives developers full control over how and when updates are delivered to end-users.
It’s ideal for managing updates in Electron apps, native desktop applications, or any cross-platform software where you want full control over versioning, distribution, and update channels (e.g. stable, beta, nightly).
🛠️ Supported Technologies
| Category | Technology | Description |
|---|---|---|
| API Framework | Go (Golang) | Main application server built with Go |
| Database | MongoDB | Primary database for storing application metadata, users, and configurations |
| Cache & Performance | Redis | Used for performance mode and statistics caching |
| Storage | S3-Compatible | Supports multiple cloud storage providers: |
| AWS S3 | Amazon Web Services Simple Storage Service | |
| Garage | Recommended local S3-compatible storage, used via the AWS SDK | |
| MinIO | Deprecated local S3-compatible storage option that still works but is no longer maintained | |
| Google Cloud Storage | Google Cloud Platform storage service | |
| DigitalOcean Spaces | DigitalOcean's S3-compatible object storage |
📖 Documentation Links
- Repository: faynoSync-site - Source code for documentation
- Live Documentation: faynoSync Documentation - Online documentation
🖥️ Frontend Links
- Dashboard Repository: faynoSync-dashboard - Web-based management interface
📱 Client Application Examples
You can find examples of client applications here.
🔗 Example Links
- Examples Directory: Client Application Examples - Various client implementations
📋 API Usage Template
- Postman Collection: faynoSync.postman_collection.json - Ready-to-use API requests
- API Documentation: API.md - Complete API reference
🚀 Installation
To use this application, you will need to have Golang installed on your machine. You can install it from the official website.
📥 Installation Steps
-
Install Go: Download and install from golang.org
-
Clone Repository: Once you have installed Golang, clone this repository to your local machine:
git clone https://github.com/ku9nov/faynoSync.git
⚙️ Configuration
To configure the faynoSync, you will need to set the following environment variables:
🔧 Required Environment Variables
# Storage Configuration
STORAGE_DRIVER (`minio`, `aws`, `gcp` or `digitalocean`)
S3_ACCESS_KEY (Your AWS or S3-compatible access key ID.)
S3_SECRET_KEY (Your AWS or S3-compatible secret access key.)
S3_REGION (The AWS region in which your S3 bucket is located. For local Garage use `garage`.)
MINIO_SECURE (Deprecated MinIO-only setting. Set to `true` to use HTTPS with MinIO or `false` to use HTTP. Default: `false`)
S3_BUCKET_NAME_PRIVATE (The name of your private S3 bucket.)
S3_ENDPOINT_PRIVATE (Public/private bucket URL used by the application when storing links or resolving keys)
S3_BUCKET_NAME (The name of your public S3 bucket. Artifacts will be uploaded here by default.)
S3_ENDPOINT (The public bucket URL used for public artifact links. Artifacts will be uploaded here by default.)
S3_API_ENDPOINT (Optional custom S3 API endpoint for S3-compatible providers such as local Garage. Leave empty for managed AWS S3.)
S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE (Optional. Set to `true` for providers that require path-style requests, such as local Garage.)
S3_DISABLE_OBJECT_ACL (Optional. Set to `true` for providers that do not support `public-read` object ACLs, such as local Garage.)
# Server Configuration
ALLOWED_CORS (urls to allow CORS configuration)
PORT (The port on which the auto updater service will listen. Default: 9000)
# Database Configuration
MONGODB_URL=mongodb://root:MheCk6sSKB1m4xKNw5I@127.0.0.1/cb_faynosync_db?authSource=admin (see docker-compose file)
MONGODB_URL_TESTS (MongoDB connection string used for tests that require a MongoDB instance. Optional.)
# Security Configuration
API_KEY (generated by 'openssl rand -base64 16') Used for SignUp
API_URL=(public URL to this API)
JWT_SECRET (Secret used to sign and validate JWT tokens. Generate with 'openssl rand -base64 32' or similar.)
# Performance Configuration
PERFORMANCE_MODE (Set to `true` to enable performance mode)
# Redis Configuration
REDIS_HOST (The hostname for the Redis server, default: `localhost`)
REDIS_PORT (The port for the Redis server, default: `6379`)
REDIS_PASSWORD (Password for Redis, leave empty if not set)
REDIS_DB (The Redis database number to use, default: `0`)
# Slack Configuration
SLACK_ENABLE (Set to `true` to enable Slack notifications, `false` to disable.)
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN (Slack bot token used to send notifications. Required when Slack is enabled.)
SLACK_CHANNEL (Slack channel identifier where notifications will be sent.)
SLACK_NOTIFICATION_TTL (How long Slack notifications are considered valid, for example `24h`.)
# Feature Flags
ENABLE_PRIVATE_APP_DOWNLOADING=false (if enabled, then apps located in private S3 can be downloaded using the public API; if disabled, then download links require authentication)
ENABLE_TELEMETRY (Set to `true` to enable telemetry)
# TUF Configuration
TUF_ENABLED=true (Set to `true` to enable TUF (The Update Framework) functionality. This enables secure software update management with metadata signing, artifact publishing, and root key rotation capabilities)
ONLINE_KEY_DIR=/private_keys (Directory path where online signing keys are stored. These keys are used for online metadata signing operations in TUF)
📝 Environment File Setup
You can set these environment variables in a .env file in the root directory of the application. You can use the .env.local file, which contains all filled variables.
🧪 Recommended Local Storage Setup
For local development, the recommended setup is Garage with the aws storage driver. Garage is used as an S3-compatible backend, while uploads and downloads go through the AWS SDK.
When you use the provided Docker Compose setup, these credentials are imported automatically into Garage during container bootstrap.
Garage admin UI is available at http://localhost:3909/ (user: admin, password: BjjctVsoSg4FKkT81VKt18).
STORAGE_DRIVER=aws
MINIO_SECURE=false
S3_ACCESS_KEY=GK8fcbbed327a9ff97f250eb4e
S3_SECRET_KEY=8a59fe92499699d139fcee6998343dad2ac73fb2b5dffafa0a7d0b0d4e305db9
S3_BUCKET_NAME_PRIVATE=cb-faynosync-s3-private
S3_BUCKET_NAME=cb-faynosync-s3-public
S3_ENDPOINT_PRIVATE=http://cb-faynosync-s3-private.web.garage.localhost:3902
S3_ENDPOINT=http://cb-faynosync-s3-public.web.garage.localhost:3902
S3_API_ENDPOINT=http://127.0.0.1:3900
S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE=true
S3_DISABLE_OBJECT_ACL=true
S3_REGION=garage
⚠️ MinIO Status
MinIO is now considered deprecated in this project. Existing MinIO-based setups should continue to work, but new local deployments should use Garage through the aws storage driver instead.
🐳 Docker Configuration
To build and run the API with all dependencies, you can use the following command:
docker compose up --build
🧪 Running Tests
You can now run tests using this command after docker compose up --build finishes and the storage service becomes healthy:
docker exec -it faynoSync_backend "/usr/bin/faynoSync_tests"
🔧 Development Setup
If you only want to run dependency services (for local development without Docker), use this command:
docker compose -f docker-compose.yaml -f docker-compose.development.yaml up
💻 Usage
To use the auto updater service, follow these steps:
🔨 Build the Application
go build -o faynoSync faynoSync.go
🚀 Start the Service
- Start with Migrations:
./faynoSync --migration
- Rollback Migrations (if needed):
./faynoSync --migration --rollback
📤 Upload Your Application
- Upload your application to S3 and set the version number in faynoSync-dashboard or using API.
🔍 Check for Updates
- In your client application, make a GET request to the auto updater service API, passing the current version number as a query parameter:
http://localhost:9000/checkVersion?app_name=myapp&version=0.0.1&owner=admin
📋 API Response
The auto updater service will return a JSON response with the following structure:
{
"update_available": false,
"update_url_deb": "http://localhost:9000/download?key=secondapp/myapp-0.0.1.deb",
"update_url_rpm": "http://localhost:9000/download?key=secondapp/myapp-0.0.1.rpm"
}
If an update is available, the update_available field will be true, and the update_url field will contain a link to the updated application.
🔔 User Notification
- In your client application, show an alert to the user indicating that an update is available and provide a link to download the updated application.
🧪 Testing
🚀 Run End-to-End Tests
go test
🔨 Build Test Binary
go test -c -o faynoSync_tests
🧪 Run Unit Tests (TUF functionality)
# Optional: set MONGODB_URL_TESTS for tests that require a MongoDB connection
# export MONGODB_URL_TESTS=mongodb://root:MheCk6sSKB1m4xKNw5I@localhost/cb_faynosync_db_tests?authSource=admin
go test ./server/tuf/...
📋 Test Requirements
Test Descriptions
To successfully run the tests and have them pass, you need to populate the .env file.
The tests verify the implemented API using a test database and an existing S3 bucket.
📋 Complete List of Tests
🔄 Database Migrations
📦 Install Migration Tool
Install migrate tool here.
🆕 Create New Migrations
cd mongod/migrations
migrate create -ext json name_of_migration
Then run the migrations again.
🔗 Migration Tool Link
- Migration Tool: golang-migrate - Database migration utility
📄 License
This application is licensed under the Apache license. See the LICENSE file for more details.
🔗 License Link
- License File: LICENSE - Apache License 2.0