The most recent snapshot of the Vivaldi web browser comes with integrated Sync functionality to sync data across devices.
The much awaited functionality makes it easier to keep data such as settings, passwords or extensions in sync automatically.
While Sync landed in the Vivaldi 1.14 snapshot, it is not yet a given that the functionality will land in the next stable version of the web browser as well.
Vivaldi staff will monitor the feature closely and base the decision on how it performs both on the user side but also on Vivaldi’s side as infrastructure is required to maintain the Sync functionality of the browser.
Vivaldi Sync first look
You need to create a Vivaldi account to get started with Sync. Simply go to the “join the Vivaldi Community” page to create an account if you don’t have one already. Once you have confirmed the account you are ready to get started with Sync in Vivaldi.
You do need to have installed the latest snapshot release, at least version 1.14.1030.3 of the browser, to test Sync functionality.
Load the Sync settings in the browser vivaldi://settings/sync/ and enter your Vivaldi username and password.
You may get an error message right now telling you that the login to the sync server failed with an Internal Server Error, Gateway Time-out, or other errors. If that is the case, wait until the issue is resolved by Vivaldi.
If you can sign in to Vivaldi Sync, you get the following options on the Sync page:
- Enable automatic synchronization of all data.
- Select specific data (bookmarks and speed dial, settings, passwords, autofill, history and remote sessions, extensions, notes) that you want to sync.
The page furthermore displays the last synchronization date and time, and whether the data syncing to the server and from the server were successful.
Read also: Vivaldi 1.9 is a minor usability update
You need to set a specific sync password which is used to encrypt the data that is sent to the server, and to decrypt it when it comes from it. The password never leaves the local browser, so that Vivaldi or anyone else cannot access Sync data on the servers due to encryptiom
Data is uploaded to Vivaldi’s infrastructure, and synced with any device running the browser if you sign in with the same Vivaldi account.
The lead engineer of Sync notes that Vivaldi modified Chromium’s synchronization engine by using end to end encryption for the data, and by modifying it so that additional data types may be supported in the future.
I asked Vivaldi to provide me with additional information on the security and privacy of Vivaldi Sync, and will update the article as soon I get a reply.
Vivaldi Sync works in the following way: when a particular data type is synced, Vivaldi’s Sync engine pulls all entries from the server, decrypts them, and merges them with the data found in the Vivaldi browser. New entries are added, all is encrypted, and then set to the server.
Vivaldi users may load vivaldi://sync-internals in the browser’s address bar to get detailed information on Sync in the browser.
Vivaldi hopes to release a standalone Sync server in the future to give users the option to run their own server independently from Vivaldi’s infrastructure.