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xbrowsersync / api

Server-side REST API that serves requests from xBrowserSync client apps
GNU General Public License v3.0
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How can an xBrowserSync host delete data that is no longer used? #71

Open schittli opened 2 years ago

schittli commented 2 years ago

Hello Thank you very much for sharing your great project and services!

A sync host correctly limits the maximum amount of synchronized data.

But one cannot delete a sync profile manually, I guess. Will the sync host delete old, unused accounts itself, e.g. after 9 months, in order not to store data unnecessarily?

Thanks a lot, kind regards, Thomas

Adda0 commented 2 years ago

Hey, the service can be configured to delete data which are not updated in a specified amount of time. As far as I know, it is usually about 30 days on public instances, from what I have seen. Somewhere, there is a default value for this option, too. So the simplest solution to delete a profile is to stop synchronizing this profile with your devices and after a while, it will be automatically removed. The reasons for this are explained below.

From xBrowserSync FAQs:

I previously created a sync but when I try to retrieve my data I get a “No data found” error message. What is going on? When you create a new sync, the sync ID you receive is specific to the xBrowserSync cloud service you synced to, so ensure you are attempting to sync to the same service with which you created your sync. If you are using the same service then it is likely your synced data has been deleted, this can happen if you do not access your synced data for several weeks. In this case, you must create a new sync and restore from your most recent backup.

I’m going away for an extended period and don’t expect to use my devices, will my synced data be deleted? To keep xBrowserSync free, most services operate a fair use policy which means any synced data that is not accessed for several weeks will be removed to make space for other users. In practice, if you open your browser or use the xBrowserSync mobile app at least once a week this is not something you ever need to worry about. If you do not expect to have access to your devices for several weeks then take a backup of your synced data and if your sync is deleted before you can access your data again, create a new sync and restore from your backup.

pettijohn commented 1 year ago

I don't see a setting to control how the service purges data. I'm self-hosting an instance just for my personal use and don't ever want it purged. Is there a way to disable the feature? Or set a really long inactivity/purge timeout?