Feature Request: Reconsider Bidirectional Database Synchronization / In-Memory Merging for Network Shares (NAS)

[ZiplipleR]

Problem Description:
For over a decade, I and many other KeePass users have safely relied on the original KeePass architecture, which utilizes direct, bidirectional, in-memory merging (File > Synchronize). This mechanism actively compares structural data between two .kdbx files to blend changes seamlessly without data loss. When utilizing a NAS solution (rather than a cloud provider) it rarely, if ever, leads to data loss.

After transitioning to KeePassXC and maintaining an identical multi-device architecture (Computer connected directly to a local NAS share; Mobile syncing via 2-way file replication), I am experiencing frequent, silent password desynchronization and data loss (not just passwords, but notes, attachments, tags, URL's, Additional URLs, Icons, history etc).

The Technical Flaw & Security Risk:
KeePassXC relies entirely on local file timestamps and atomic safe-saves (writing a .tmp file and renaming it). While this works flawlessly on local SSDs, it is fundamentally unreliable on network storage protocols (SMB/NFS/WebDAV hosted on QNAP/Synology/TrueNAS, Unraid, OpenMediaVault NAS devices & just plain old Windows SMB Shares). These flaws drastically reduce the flexibility of KeePassXC:

1. Missed Notifications: Network file system lag means KeePassXC frequently misses the OS-level "file modified" broadcast when a mobile device pushes a change.
2. Silent Overwrites: Because KeePassXC assumes no changes have occurred, it flushes its memory buffer to disk, blindly overwriting and destroying the passwords just uploaded by the mobile client.

Passwords are the absolute cornerstone of online security. A password manager’s primary directive must be data integrity. The current architectural stance—delegating all synchronization complexity to external file-system tools—is actively placing users' critical security data at risk of silent deletion when working over standard local network configurations.

Proposed Solution:

I respectfully ask the development team to reconsider their stance on excluding in memory local file synchronization code.

While avoiding a built-in networking stack to keep the codebase simple makes sense, KeePassXC does need a robust way to merge local file paths. Implementing a true, bidirectional, file-to-file structural sync mechanism—similar to original KeePass—would allow users to safely sync a local database copy with a network/synced copy without relying on fragile OS file-change notifications.

Community Crowdfunding Initiative:
I understand that implementing a deep structural file-merge algorithm requires significant development time and effort. To show that the community is fully invested in this feature, I am willing to personally pledge toward a dedicated development fund to see this implemented.

Given how many offline and homelab users face this exact NAS sync loop, I am confident hundreds of others would gladly contribute to back this development. I would love to work with the maintainers to officially back this request via your existing fundraising or crowdfunding infrastructure (such as IssueHunt or KickStarter) to directly compensate any developer(s) who are capable of building this out safely.

Why I Choose KeePassXC Over Original KeePass:

Despite the synchronization friction on network shares, KeePassXC is fundamentally a superior, more modern product than the original KeePass in almost every other way:

1. Phenomenal Out-of-the-Box Browser Integration: The KeePassXC-Browser extension is seamlessly integrated natively into the core application. Unlike original KeePass—which requires configuring fragile third-party RPC plugins that constantly break during browser updates—KeePassXC provides a secure, reliable, and fluid auto-fill experience across Chrome, Firefox, and Edge right out of the box.

2. Superior UX and Modern Ease of Use: KeePassXC features a streamlined, intuitive interface that moves completely away from the outdated, Windows-95-style aesthetic of original KeePass. It provides a unified cross-platform experience that looks and behaves natively whether you are on Windows, macOS, or Linux. Setting up secure defaults, generating complex passphrases, and organizing credentials requires no complex technical fiddling.

3. Core Inclusion vs. Dangerous Third-Party Plugins: Original KeePass relies on an extensive list of unverified, third-party community plugins to handle basic modern needs like TOTP (2FA), SSH agent management, and advanced encryption. This introduces massive security risks, as passwords are too precious to leave to unmaintained, third-party code blocks. KeePassXC natively integrates TOTP generation, YubiKey challenge-response, and SSH Agent pairing straight into its core security-audited code, providing a dramatically smaller attack surface.

Because KeePassXC has built such an outstanding, secure, and user-friendly ecosystem, solving this final multi-device file conflict loop is the last step toward making it the undisputed gold standard for OFFLINE password management.

[droidmonkey]

#2937

We have a few mechanisms to detect file changes prior to overwrite. The one thing not implemented is the double merge. However that is not a file save operation.