File Synchronization Add-on for PaaS
The File Synchronization add-on installs lsyncd on an application server layer so that files changed on one node are mirrored to the others within seconds. It lets you scale PHP, Node.js or other applications horizontally without shared storage, keeping uploads, plugins and configuration identical on every server.
Both buttons open the MassiveGRID PaaS dashboard with File Synchronization pre-selected. The trial needs no credit card.
File Synchronization Package Facts
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Package | File Synchronization |
| Type | Add-on (attaches to an existing environment) |
| Category | Add-ons & Utilities |
| Software vendor / project | lsyncd project |
| Licence | GPLv2 (lsyncd, open source) |
| Runtime / stack | Add-on for application server layers; lsyncd with inotify and rsync |
| Regions | New York, London, Frankfurt, Singapore |
| Billing | Free add-on; the host environment is billed per use from $2.46/month |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card |
| Uptime SLA | 100% |
What is File Synchronization?
When a load balancer spreads traffic across several application servers, a file uploaded to one server must appear on all of them or the next request will find it missing. Shared storage solves this but adds a network file system to every read. lsyncd takes the other approach: each server keeps a local copy and the add-on watches for changes with inotify, triggering rsync only when something actually changes.
The add-on configures lsyncd on the layer, sets up SSH keys between nodes, and handles nodes added by horizontal scaling. It is the mechanism behind file consistency in several cluster packages and is ideal for WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Laravel and similar applications where local disk speed matters.
What File Synchronization Changes in Your Environment
Add-ons run against an environment you already have. Nothing is rebuilt, and the change can be removed from the same dashboard.
- lsyncd on each node: The daemon installed and configured on every server in the selected layer.
- inotify-triggered rsync: Changes are detected in real time and synchronised to peers with rsync over SSH.
- Key exchange: SSH keys distributed between nodes for passwordless, encrypted transfers.
- Scaling hooks: New nodes receive the current file set and join the sync mesh automatically.
Why Teams Choose File Synchronization
Local disk performance
Every node reads from its own disk; no network file system latency.
Near-real-time
Changes propagate within seconds, only when they happen.
Efficient
rsync transfers only changed blocks, so large media libraries sync cheaply.
No application changes
Works with any application that writes files to its own directory.
How to Add File Synchronization on MassiveGRID PaaS
Attaching the add-on takes three steps and a few minutes of waiting. No servers to provision, no configuration files to edit.
Open the installer
Click Install with free trial or Install to my account. The MassiveGRID PaaS dashboard opens with the File Synchronization add-on pre-selected, so nothing has to be copied or pasted.
Sign up or sign in
New to the platform? Sign up for the free 14-day trial, which needs no credit card. Existing customers sign in with their usual dashboard credentials.
Pick the target environment
Choose the environment, and where relevant the node layer, that File Synchronization should attach to, then confirm. The add-on configures itself on the running nodes without a redeploy.
Who Runs File Synchronization on PaaS
Load-balanced PHP sites
WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and Magento clusters keeping uploads and code in sync.
Horizontal scaling without shared storage
Adding application servers to an environment that started as a single node.
Configuration distribution
Mirroring configuration directories across a fleet of identical servers.
Why Run File Synchronization on MassiveGRID PaaS
Built for uptime. File Synchronization runs on MassiveGRID's high-availability platform, where every environment is covered by a 100% uptime SLA. Nodes live on redundant hosts, storage is replicated, and failed containers are restarted or migrated automatically.
Pay for what you use. Billing is hourly and per cloudlet (128 MiB RAM plus 400 MHz CPU). Vertical auto-scaling adds and removes cloudlets as load changes, so a quiet File Synchronization environment costs a few dollars a month and a busy one grows without a migration. Full details are on the PaaS page.
Your choice of jurisdiction. Deploy in New York, London, Frankfurt or Singapore and keep data inside the region your users or regulators require. MassiveGRID is ISO 9001 certified and GDPR compliant, and has run hosting infrastructure since 2003.
No lock-in. The package is a standard Jelastic Packaging Standard (JPS) manifest. You keep root-level access to the containers, can export the manifest, and can move the workload to any other Jelastic-compatible platform or to your own servers at any time.
Related on massivegrid.com: Platform as a Service.
File Synchronization Questions
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Deploy File Synchronization Today
Start the free 14-day trial and have File Synchronization running in minutes. No credit card required.