Linux
3.3.3
I am using drop box as my sync target, if I sync with my desktop and Android then switch to joplin server (v3.3.3), will my Android have to download everything again? Or will it see there aren't any changes and it be a quick sync? I have about 8,000 notes. Most of them small, and very few attachments. Although on Android I always have it set to manually download attachments.
Edited and cleaned up the original post (areas were repeated by accident).
The short, easy and correct answer is: Yes.
That’s the way I have experienced it.
[And please let me repeat the standard advice: Do a complete backup of your notes and attachments before you change your sync target. I would even do it manually, although Joplin has an included backup feature in the newer versions.]
Drat. I was hoping it might be intelligent enough that it wouldn't need to reload/download everything.
I agree with backups. I have done that. In fact I just did a test creating a full manual backup to JEX, importing that into a new profile, and sycing to the joplin server (new account). It only took about 25 minutes or so. Another desktop downloaded the entire thing to a new profile in about the same time. But I know Android is so much slower (even with the screen locked on, Joplin left on the screen, and left only to sync).
I suspect it will have to download everything again if I move the server to a Raspberry Pi as the URL would change to a different IP on my network. So I guess I will wait until I have the Pi going before I do the switch.
I might even offload a bunch of notes to a different profile, get the Android caught up on the new server then add them back a bit at a time.
Thanks for responding.
Some further tests/info:
I created new profile in windows, imported a full export manual of jex into the new profile (41.4mb JEX file which interestingly enough the Simple Backup JEX was only 25mb).
Created account in linux server, test account, synced to it
total after import 9769
note 5704
29 minutes to upload to joplin server from windows desktop
Created new profile on linux and set up to sync with this new joplin server test account
linux completed 1367s
22m to complete (although still fetching resources at the time but finished about 5 minutes later)
Android test:
Created a new profile and syced to the same Joplin Server account as above.
created local items 6315
created remote items 8
deleted remote items 6
fetched items 6315/6336
completed 3/30/2025 18:37 3251s -- this is when I stopped it
It was about a hour in and I noticed it got a lot slower towards the end about 1 new entry for every 2 seconds. Roughly that works out to 1.5 hours more to finish. Took from about 68% down to 43% battery.
So it will take a few hours but at least not several DAYS as it would if I were to do the same with dropbox or onedrive (which seem to be at the same speed in my tests). Manageable, but I think I will prune further on the data and wait until I have Joplin Server moved to the Raspberry Pi and I won't have to do this all over again.