npm install -g sicksync

Has scp got you down? rsync just not fast enough? Well, we hear your pain, and that's why there's sicksync.

sicksync is a CLI to sync your projects code to a remote machine. If you work in an environment where you edit files locally, then push them to a development machine, then sicksync is the tool for you.

Requirements

• NodeJS with npm
• You can just ssh to-your-remote-machine without using a password (ie, ssh keys)
• Some available port!

Install

sicksync needs to be installed globally on both your remote and local machines.

• Local: npm install -g sicksync
• Remote: ssh to-your-remote-machine then npm install -g sicksync
• Local: sicksync will start the syncing process

Overview

sicksync, at it's core, is a simple websocket service that sends small file changes to a remote machine. If it get's hammered with changes (ie, a git checkout some-massive-branch), it will defer to rsync to transfer these large deltas. This makes it a stupendous tool when you need a short feedback-loop, but still need the flexibility to send large files. It also includes an encryption layer if you're worried about sending files plain-text.

Command Line Options

sicksync

This command will ensure your remote path is up to date and start the syncing process. I you haven't already setup sicksync, it'll walk you through the setup wizard.

sicksync -h, --help

Outputs the help information as well as the version number.

sicksync -s, --setup

Runs the setup wizard, which will create a .sicksync-config.json in your home directory. Once complete, it scp's that file to your remote machine.

This file is a simple JSON config object, so feel free to change it whenever (though you'll have to copy it to your remote machine manually).

sicksync -d, --debug {boolean}

Turns debug messages on/off when sicksync is running. Valid options are true, false, yes, no, y and n. Once complete, it will attempt to copy the config file to the remote machine.

sicksync -e, --encrypt {boolean}

Turns on or off encryption when sicksync sends file changes. Large changes will use rsync, which is already secure. Once complete, it will attempt to copy the config file to the remote machine.

sicksync -c, --config

Opens the config file in your editor of choice.

sicksync -o, --Once

Runs a one-time sync, which is a rsync under-the-hood. This happens automatically everytime you run sicksync, and if you have the retryOnDisconnect flag, will run on disconnect.

Configuration Options

sourceLocation: {absolute filepath}

The absolute file-path you want to watch and sync with. Cannot have any ~ as sicksync doesn't yet understand the home shorthand. sicksync will also watch any nested file-changes (recursively) and update the remote machine with changes.

excludes: {array of relative filepaths or globs}

An array of file(s) or filepath(s) that, when matched, sicksync will ignore and not send changes. Editor configuration and .git/* files are generally ok to ignore. Uses minimatch for globbing.

websocketPort: {number}

The port number which you want BOTH the local and remote machines to use for websocket-syncing.

secret: {string}

The secret used for encrpyted messages as well as the initial handshake for the websocket syncs. If there is a mis-match between the local and remote machine's secret, sicksync will not work. This get's automatically generated in the wizard, so it's not necessary to change it unless some bad happens.

userName: {string}

The username you use to log into the remote machine with. sicksync will use this to start the syncing process, as well as copy files over.

hostname: {string}

The hostname or ip address of the remote machine you wish to sync with.

destinationLocation: {filepath}

The location on your remote machine you wish to apply changes to. Again, this must be the absolute path in your local machine.

prefersEncrypted: {boolean}

Flag that will turn on or off encrypted sync messages.

debug: {boolean}

Flag that will turn on or off debug messages during the syncing process.

retryOnDisconnect: {boolean}

When true, this will tell sicksync to re-attempt to connect when the server disconnects. Using CTRL+C will not trigger a retry locally. Also runs a one-time sync beforehand to ensure any lost changes find their way home.

followSymLinks: {boolean}

When true, this will tell sicksync to follow and sync files and folders that are symlinked. Defaults to false in setup.

Troubleshooting

Q: I'm seeing [ERR] command not found: sicksync-remote when starting sicksync locally, what gives?

A: This likely has to do with sicksync-remote not being in your $PATH when sicksync ssh's into your remote machine to start the process. If you are using ZSH, try moving your $PATH definitions to .zshenv.

Q: I'm seeing Error: Module did not self-register. when running sicksync.

A: If you've recently updated node or changed versions, you'll need to recompile the binaries that go along with sicksync. Run npm install -g sicksync again, or if you've forked/cloned the repo then remove the associated node_modules folder and run npm install.

Q: sicksync -o is taking a long time to run, is that ok?

A: Depends. If there are a lot of changes, the one-time-sync can take a bit to run. Can scp or rsync be ran effectively?

Q: I'm having an issue, and I need help.

A: Send a PR with the problem and we'll give it a gander!