Raspberry Pi (32-bit) install guide

This is the no-GUI, armhf build of the SyncTato server for a 32-bit Raspberry Pi. It runs as a background systemd service — no display needed, just SSH.

Requirements

An older or smaller Raspberry Pi running a 32-bit OS (Raspberry Pi OS 32-bit)
If your Pi supports 64-bit (Pi 3 or newer with a 64-bit OS image), use the 64-bit guide instead — it's the better-supported build.

Install

Extract the .tar.gz over SSH or a terminal, and run:

./install.sh

This installs to ~/.local/bin and runs as a systemd user service — no root needed. It also enables lingering, so it keeps running even after you log out of SSH. It prints your pairing code at the end.

Pairing code

There's no window on a headless Pi — pairing codes are read from the log. The install script prints the current one, and you can re-check it any time with:

journalctl --user -u synctato-server | grep -i 'pairing code'

Firewall

Allow inbound TCP on port 8443, or your phone won't find the server:

sudo ufw allow 8443/tcp                                  # Raspberry Pi OS / Debian / Ubuntu

Video/HEIC thumbnails

Unlike the other builds, ffmpeg isn't bundled for this architecture (there's no upstream 32-bit ARM build available). Video and HEIC (iPhone photo) thumbnails need it installed separately:

sudo apt install ffmpeg

Data location

The database and certificates live under ~/.local/share (your XDG data dir). Your actual photos and videos go under whichever media folder you choose in the app — an external drive is a good choice on a Pi with a small SD card.

Uninstall

From the folder you extracted, run:

./uninstall.sh

Your photos and database are left in place.