Seafile haiwen/seafile

Self-hosted file sync and share with selective sync, encrypted libraries, share and upload links and version history; Pro edition free up to 3 users.

Creator kit + Compare GitHub ↗ Install guide (official) ↗

Seafile at a glance

Checked 16 Oct 2026

Seafile (15k stars on the sync-client repo; server 13.0 docs) syncs "libraries" of files between a server and desktop clients, with delta transfer, conflict handling by history, client-side encrypted libraries, password-protected download links, upload links and version control. A virtual-drive client syncs on demand. Licences are split: server core AGPLv3, web UI Apache-2.0, desktop client GPLv2. The Community Edition needs 2 cores and 2 GB RAM via Docker. The Professional Edition (clustering, SeaSearch full-text search) is free for up to three users.

Cite this pageRepoQuarry. “Seafile.” Checked 16 Oct 2026. https://repoquarry.dev/projects/seafile

How much of Dropbox does it replace?

4 of 5 jobs. Sync, links, versions and web access in the free Community Edition; Pro adds clustering and full-text search.

Desktop folder sync across devices Full replacement

Share links and shared folders Full replacement

File version history and recovery Full replacement

Browse and manage files in a web app Full replacement

Mobile camera upload and backup Not covered

For mobile camera upload and backup, see other Dropbox alternatives. You may also need to build an interface, an API server and hosting yourself.

How much of Box does it replace?

3 of 3 jobs. File sync, share links and online access cover daily file work; Some enterprise features require Seafile Professional; Box governance is not covered.

Desktop file sync Partial replacement

File sharing links Partial replacement

Browser access to files Partial replacement

Facts, with sources

Every answer links to where we found it. We read the documentation; we did not install it.

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QuestionAnswerSourceChecked

Runs on my machine? Self-hosted server with Docker; desktop and mobile clients docker compose up -d manual.seafile.com · setup_ce_by_docker ↗ today

Code licence Mixed; server core AGPLv3, web UI Apache-2.0, desktop client GPLv2, Android GPLv3, iOS Apache-2.0 Seafile Server core: AGPLv3 manual.seafile.com · latest ↗ today

Model weights licence No separate model weights github.com · seafile#readme ↗ today

Commercial use Community Edition under AGPL/GPL/Apache terms; Professional Edition is proprietary and needs a paid licence above three users Seafile PE can be used without a paid license with up to three users. manual.seafile.com · setup_pro_by_docker ↗ today

Paid services needed? None for Community Edition; Professional Edition (clustering, SeaSearch) is paid beyond three users Seafile PE can be used without a paid license with up to three users. manual.seafile.com · setup_pro_by_docker ↗ today

Hardware Community Edition with Docker - 2 cores, 2 GB RAM, 10 GB disk (50 GB+ recommended) CPU requirements: 2 cores, more than 2G Hz are recommended manual.seafile.com · system_requirements ↗ today

Operating systems Server on Linux (x86 and ARM64 Docker images); clients for Windows 10+, macOS 11+, Linux, Android and iOS Runs on Windows 10 or above seafile.com · download ↗ today

Setup effort Medium; download Docker Compose files and env, then docker compose up docker compose up -d manual.seafile.com · setup_ce_by_docker ↗ today