what is the difference between foldersync/dropbox/Icloud and backup

vangen
vangen
Community Member
in Mac

I see that having an external syncvault makes it easy to syncronize say Iphone and Mac!. If i temporarily change sync from external to foldersync i can manually make a copy in a folder of my choice. But i can not keep that folder automatically in sync with my dropboxcopy. I have to rely on your backuplocation for a local copy if someone goes wrong with my dropboxaccount Right? Something i missed

1Password Version: 1password7
Extension Version: 1Password 7.2.1
OS Version: OS 10.14
Sync Type: dropbox
Referrer: forum-search:what is the difference between foldersync and backup

Comments

  • Lars
    Lars
    1Password Alumni

    @vangen - excellent question! The main difference between sync and backup is that a backup is a snapshot of your data at a given moment in time, whereas sync is a continually updated version of your current data that's available in multiple places.

    In 1Password for Mac, backups of standalone vaults are created automatically by 1Password, about once a day. In Preferences > Backup, you can see the backups 1Password has made for you, and if you click "Show Files," you can see them in Finder (in your Library folder). These can be very valuable if you need to restore to a previous moment in your 1Password history. But they reside only on your Mac, and they're (generally) not useable elsewhere. They can only be used to restore your data if, say, you change your Master Password to a new one and then forget what it is. You could choose a backup from a time when you knew your Master Password, restore it, and get your data back where otherwise it would have been lost.

    Sync, on the other hand - using Dropbox, iCloud or Folder Sync - creates a keychain in a folder on your local device. The internal SQLite database of 1Password will then sync with this keychain...and (if you're using Dropbox or iCloud) the third-party sync service will then sync that local copy of the keychain with the one on its server, which can then be synced with the local version on other devices you use 1Password on. It's great for keeping your data consistent across multiple devices...but it provides no backup capabilities whatsoever, except for the fact that you can use it if you have to re-install 1Password, or you get a new device that's never run 1Password, or something similar.

    I'm not sure if that answers all your questions, so if not, feel free to ask any follow-ups. :)

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