CHARON

00 Open source · macOS · Windows · Linux

Every file,
safely across.

Charon is the ferryman for your files. Pair two folders or drives and it carries everything across: mirrored, backed up or both ways. By hand, the moment something changes, on a schedule, or as soon as you plug in the drive.

Download Charon View the source

Free. No account, no cloud, no tracking.

Charon's window: sync jobs with status colours, a running sync with a progress bar, pending changes and a conflict
Photos → Backup SSDProjects ⇄ NASDocuments → Cloud Drive Music → Travel driveNotes ⇄ LaptopArchive → Cold storage Photos → Backup SSDProjects ⇄ NASDocuments → Cloud Drive Music → Travel driveNotes ⇄ LaptopArchive → Cold storage
01 Three ways to cross

Mirror, back up, or keep both sides in step.

Pick a mode and press Sync. This is exactly what Charon does with your folders.

Source~/Photos
    Destination/Volumes/Backup

      new changed removed · to the trash

      02 When it sails

      It runs when you would have.

      1. A

        By hand

        Press Sync now. Nothing happens until you say so.

      2. B

        On change

        Charon watches the folder and syncs a few seconds after your edits settle.

      3. C

        On a schedule

        Every few minutes, every hour, or each night at three. A sleeping computer catches up when it wakes.

      4. D

        When the drive arrives

        Plug in your backup drive and it just syncs. No app to open, nothing to remember.

      03 Look before you cross

      A preview of every crossing.

      Before the first sync, and whenever you like, a dry run shows exactly what will be copied, replaced and removed. A wrong folder is caught before a single file moves.

      • Safe deletes. Removed and overwritten files wait in a .charon-trash folder for 30 days.
      • No half-copied files. Each file takes its real name only once it's complete.
      • Stops before disaster. If one side is suddenly empty, Charon refuses to wipe the other.
      • Conflicts are never silent. Keep both, newest wins, or ask. An edit always beats a deletion.
      DRY RUN · Documents → Cloud Drive
      
      
      
    
      

    
    
      
      
      
        04 One glance
        
      Every job, its own colour and sign.
      
        
      Colour and icon always go together, so they read for every pair of eyes.
      
      
      
      
    
      

    
    
      
      
      
        05 Out of the way
        
      Lives in the menu bar. Speaks up only when it matters.
      
      
      
      
      
        
      Menu bar & system tray
      The overall status, Sync all and Pause everything, without opening the window.
      
        
      Notifications that matter
      Errors, conflicts and big syncs. Small routine crossings stay silent.
      
        
      Exclude filters
      .DS_Store, Thumbs.db and friends are left out by default. Add node_modules, *.tmp, anything.
      
        
      An activity log per job
      What each run copied, and which file failed and why.
      
        
      Launch at login
      Starts quietly and keeps working when the window is closed.
      
        
      Pause everything
      On a hotspot or presenting? One click and every job waits.
      
      
      
    
      

    
    
      
      
      
        06 The ferryman's oath
        
        
          
      1. I
        Never delete a file without a way back.
        2. 
          
      2. II
        Never send your files anywhere but where you pointed.
        3. 
          
      3. III
        Never hide what will happen before it happens.
        4. 
        
      
      
      
    
      

    
    
      
      
      
        07 Board the ferry
        
      Download
      
        
      The latest version. Free and open source.
      
      
      
      
      
      The macOS version is signed and notarised by Apple. The Windows installers aren't signed yet:
        if SmartScreen asks, choose More info, then Run anyway.
        All versions and release notes
      

      
      
        
      
          
      Build it yourself
      
          
      Rust and Tauri, with a plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript interface. Bug reports, ideas and pull requests are welcome.
      
          
      
            Source code
            Report a bug
          
      
        
      
        
      
          
          
      git clone https://github.com/digifix-ninja/charon
cd charon
cargo install tauri-cli --version "^2" --locked
cargo tauri build