Nextcloud

Nextcloud
Nextcloud 18.0.2 (browser view)
Basic data
developer	Nextcloud GmbH
Publishing year	2nd June 2016
Current  version	19.0.2 (Server) August 27, 2020 3.13.0 (Android) August 18, 2020 3.0.6 (iOS) August 27, 2020 3.0.1 (desktop) August 28, 2020
operating system	Linux , macOS , Unix , Windows , Android , iOS
programming language	PHP + JavaScript (server), C ++ (desktop client), Objective-C (iOS client), Java (Android client),
category	Cloud computing , file hosting , file sharing , synchronization
License	Server: AGPLv3 Mobile Clients: AGPLv3 Desktop: GPLv 2; GPL
German speaking	Yes
nextcloud.com

Nextcloud is free software for storing data ( file hosting ) on your own server . When using a client , the server is automatically synchronized with a local directory. This means that a consistent database can be accessed from several computers, but also via a web interface . Video conferences and "sharing" your own screen are also possible.

Nextcloud can be installed on a private server or web space at no additional cost. With Nextcloud, the owner retains complete control over their data and the possibility of data abuse is reduced.

The project uses PHP scripts to access an SQLite , MariaDB , MySQL or PostgreSQL database installed on the server . The server application and the clients are available in more than 60 languages.

The goal of Nextcloud is to make the user independent of service providers on the Internet, i. H. one retains complete data sovereignty. With many offers from these providers, on the other hand, the user data is marketed commercially and data protection is unclear.

history

Originally founded in 2010 under the name ownCloud by Frank Karlitschek , he left the company on June 2, 2016 together with other developers and announced "Nextcloud" as a fork . Since then, Nextcloud has been actively developed by Frank Karlitschek, other members of the original developer group and a large community. Nextcloud offers some functions that ownCloud does not offer or only offers in its enterprise version.

On April 17, 2018, the Federal Information Technology Center ( ITZBund ) announced the decision to tender for the " Federal Cloud ". 300,000 people in the ministries and other federal institutions are to use the Nextcloud software.

In August 2019 it became known that the authorities of the three EU states France , Sweden and the Netherlands want to use Nextcloud for file exchange in the future. The French Ministry of the Interior alone is planning to use Nextcloud for 100,000 employees.

Version 18 with the product name Nextcloud Hub was presented on January 17, 2020 in Berlin . An Office package (here OnlyOffice ) was integrated directly here for the first time , and Nextcloud stated that the target was direct competition to Microsoft Office 365 and Google Docs . A partnership with Ionos was also announced at this meeting . By the data center in Germany and the DSGVO conformity, the user should have the control over their data.

In spring 2020, the need for and use of tools for web conferencing increased sharply. Nextcloud then expanded the Talk tool in version 19 and made a "high performance backend" available as an open source solution; This means that self-hosted web conferences with more than ten people are now possible on your own computer. In addition, with Collabora Online , another office package was made available as a program and integrated into Talk .

Range of functions

Basic functions

Basic functions include:

• SAML Single Sign-On Authentication (SSO)
• Two-factor authentication
• User, group and rights management (expandable, e.g. for authentication with LDAP )
• Password guidelines
• Brute force protection
• Monitoring (Web / API) interface
• Integration with Windows network shares ( SMB / CIFS ), external storage with Swift , FTP / SFTP , WebDAV , Amazon S3 , Google Drive , Microsoft Azure and Dropbox
• Video conference via Nextcloud-Talk
• Screen sharing via Nextcloud Talk
• Encryption of the data on the server as well as an encrypted transmission via SSL / TLS
• Share files and folders with other users, groups or via public URLs
• Anonymous upload (no user account required)
• Conferences via WebRTC
• Integration of Collabora Online , an online office application based on LibreOffice
• Integration of OnlyOffice
• Viewer for PDF and Microsoft Office files
• Full text search
• Customizing the Appearance ( Theming )

Plugins

Since the software has a modular structure, it can be expanded to include any functionality using a plug-in system. Developers can offer their extensions to other users for installation via a platform operated by the manufacturer. This platform communicates with the Nextcloud instances via an open protocol. There are already over 250 extensions in the App Store . With the help of these extensions, the following functionalities can be added:

• Calendar (also as CalDAV )
• Address book (also as CardDAV )
• Collaboration (comments on files, keywording )
• Activity indicator
• Photo gallery
• Music and video playback
• Bookmark management
• Task planner (to-do lists)
• Feed reader
• Editing of text files with support for Markdown
• WYSIWYG editor for text files including Markdown support
• E-mail program
• Listening to Internet radio
• Kanban project management
• Creation of mind maps
• Evaluation of geospatial data in GPS Exchange format
• Management of passwords ( KeePass integration)
• Creation of diagrams (including network, flowcharts , business processes , UML )
• Text recognition for images and PDF files (use of Tesseract )
• Implementation of the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Web analytics (use of Piwik / Matomo )
• Integration of content management systems (including Pico-CMS)
• Weather forecast viewer
• Viewer for Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine
• Map viewer (cartography)
• Management of cooking recipes

Sync clients

Desktop sync clients are available for macOS , Windows , Linux , BSD and other Unix- based operating systems. Ready-to-use DEB / RPM packages are available for the popular Linux distributions.

There are also open source apps for the mobile operating systems Android , iOS and for Windows the client is also available as a universal Windows app.

More software from Nextcloud

In addition to the server application and the desktop and mobile clients, Nextcloud offers additional software.

There is an Outlook add-in. This allows the integrated use of Nextcloud for attachments (files or entire folder structures). The additional module is available in a free and an enterprise version. While the free version is limited in functionality and is aimed at private users, the paid “Enterprise version” is intended for use in companies and offers extended functions, such as B. to protect links with a password.

For Mozilla Thunderbird there is also an add-on called Filelink for using Nextcloud as data storage.

Software that integrates Nextcloud

There are software projects that integrate Nextcloud directly as data storage, e.g. B. the learning platform Moodle , the mobile app "Scanbot" or the groupware solution Zimbra .

History of the fork from ownCloud

In April 2016, Frank Karlitschek and some core developers left ownCloud. This happened due to disagreements about the course of ownCloud.

The split was preceded by a blog post by Karlitschek, in which he asked questions such as "Who owns the ownCloud community?" Or "Who owns ownCloud?" Even more urgent was the question of what was more important: "Earning money quickly or long-term responsibility and growth?" There was no official statement on the reason for the fork.

On June 2nd, 12 hours after the spin-off was announced, the American subsidiary "ownCloud Inc." had to announce the immediate closure. In the statement was u. a. called the termination of loans by the capital provider. The ownCloud GmbH persists. New investors ensure their continuation and the business of ownCloud Inc. was taken over.

Fundamental differences to ownCloud

Developers can work on Nextcloud without having to sign a Contributor License Agreement (CLA) like with ownCloud. All Nextcloud software is freely available and subject to the AGPL only. ownCloud, on the other hand, relies on microservices and exclusive "enterprise apps" in its business model .

history

version	release	Latest version	Release Date	Support up	Remarks
Future version: 20.0.0	October 3, 2020	20.0.0
Current version: 19th	3rd June 2020	19.0.2	August 27, 2020	May 2021	Innovations: Passwordless authentication using WebAuthn Talk 9 supports collaborative work on documents using Collabora Online Performance improvements Groups for guest access
Older version; still supported: 18th	17th January 2020	18.0.8	August 27, 2020	January 2021	Further innovations: Flow - A tool for creating automated workflows Delivery of mail, calendar, talk, only office and contacts with the installation Talk integration in the calendar Lock files to prevent others from editing a file New design for calendar and talk Workspaces - README.md files are displayed rendered over the rest of the files in their folder Automatic recognition of appointments in emails
Older version; still supported: 17th	September 30, 2019	17.0.9	August 27, 2020	September 2020	Further innovations: Remote Wipe: Force removal of files on end devices, e.g. B. if a smartphone is lost Nextcloud Text: A distraction-free, collaborative rich text editor with support for Markdown Secure View: Enforceable document watermarks based on metadata ("tags"), groups, release types and other properties LDAP write support enables users to be managed from Nextcloud Version support for Amazon S3 Integration of IBM Spectrum Scale
Older version; no longer supported: 16	April 25, 2019	16.0.11	June 04, 2020	April 2020	Further innovations: New access control lists can replace older proprietary file servers. Authentication: Detection of suspicious login attempts based on a neural network. “Projects” function: Users can organize their work by combining various resources into projects, such as chats, calendars, upcoming tasks and files. Useful for working in teams. The projects can be shared with colleagues in whole or in part. Nextcloud Talk 6.0 includes a new interface and commands.
Older version; no longer supported: 15th	December 10, 2018	15.0.14	19th December 2019	December 2019	Further innovations: New social app and a. Mastodon with the ActivityPub communication protocol . Deeper integration of Collabora Online with chat function in the sidebar, version management, mobile document processing The loading times of the website have been improved (factor 2–3)
Older version; no longer supported: 14th	September 10, 2018	14.0.14	16th August 2019	September 2019	Security improvements: Two-factor authentication via Signal / Telegram / SMS Video verification of the recipient of shares by Nextcloud Talk Further innovations: Checking all installed apps for compatibility before installing a new version The operation of the integrated app store has been revised New, dark design Many improvements for accessibility at the computer Notes on shares, sharing files via Nextcloud Talk Two-factor authentication through notifications
Older version; no longer supported: 13	February 6, 2018	13.0.12	29th February 2019	February 2019	Security improvements: End-to-end encryption (constant improvements in every release) Further innovations: Nextcloud-Talk, an audio / video chat platform. The entire conversation is end-to-end encrypted. This platform can be accessed via Android / iOS apps. (Big improvements in server application and apps since original release) The web interface supports HiDPI . Performance improvement, especially for LDAP requests. Improvement of functions for collaboration on many apps. Check when creating passwords for existence in the HaveIBeenPwned database (collection of data leaks) You can choose between text and HTML for e-mail notifications Warning for software versions that are no longer supported ( EOL ) Support for PHP 7.2 and PostgreSQL 10
Older version; no longer supported: 12	May 22, 2017	12.0.13	22nd November 2018	November 2018	Security improvements: Use of brute force protection by apps Integration of functions for "rate limiting" New and improved authentication mechanisms such as OpenID, OAuth 2.0, Kerberos and others Scalability and performance improvements: Architecture global scale for the use of several Nextcloud nodes Further innovations: Adjustments to the user interface for easier use of apps Extension of the application possibilities of public links Extension and improvement of audio / video chat
Older version; no longer supported: 11	December 13, 2016	11.0.8	March 14, 2018	March 2018	Security improvements: Support for browser security features CSP 3.0 and same-site cookies Support for Kerberos authentication and two-factor authentication providers based on Universal 2nd Factor and Time-based One-Time Password Advanced brute force protection for all API access points Use of SSL / TLS when sharing files via Nextcloud Server Access rights to app-specific login tokens App Store automatically checks apps and enforces signatures Scalability and performance improvements: Up to 80% reduction in database load Up to 60% faster data transfer for small files Faster Collabora online commissioning Faster loading of large folders Further innovations: Apache Solr based full text search with Nextant app Next Gen Federation optionally supports storing information in the global address book for easy search for users Experimental integration of audio / video chat with "Spreed APP"
Older version; no longer supported: 10	September 28, 2016	10.0.6	7th August 2017	August 2017	Security improvements: A new mechanism has been added to make updating Nextcloud easier Integration of a plugin-based two-factor authentication Integration of functions for brute force protection Improved access controls ("file access control") Further innovations: The design functions of the user interface have been expanded Extension of the system monitoring in the user interface and via API endpoint
Older version; no longer supported: 9.0.54	September 28, 2016	9.0.58	April 24, 2017	April 2017	First officially released version of Nextcloud, based on the then current open source version of ownCloud 9

Legend:

Older version; no longer supported

Older version; still supported

Current version

Current preliminary version

Future version

Nextcloud box

In September 2016, Nextcloud, in cooperation with Western Digital Labs and Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu ), presented the Nextcloud box. Jane Silber ( CEO of Canonical) and Frank Karlitschek presented the novelty at the Nextcloud conference 2016 . Less than a year later, in June 2017, Western Digital announced the end of WDLabs and thus the end of production of the Nextcloud box.

The Nextcloud box was based on a Raspberry Pi . Ubuntu Core with Snappy served as the operating system . The box was intended as a reference device for other manufacturers. For the user, the focus was on simple set-up; installation on a web server is not required. The snappy image was maintained and regularly updated with new versions.

See also

• ownCloud
• Pydio
• Seafile
• SparkleShare
• Syncthing

Web links

• Nextcloud community forces first stable release , Golem.de from June 14, 2016
• Interview with Frank Karlitschek

Individual evidence

1. ^ Official website of the company. Nextcloud GmbH, accessed on May 4, 2018 . 
2. ↑ www.golem.de .
3. ↑ Nextcloud Server Changelog. Retrieved August 27, 2020 . 
4. ↑ Changelog of the Android app on Github. Retrieved June 11, 2020 . 
5. ↑ Installation page for Android. In: Google Play . Retrieved June 11, 2020 . 
6. ↑ Changelog of the iOS app on Github. Retrieved August 27, 2020 . 
7. ↑ Preview page for iOS. In: App Store (iOS) . Retrieved August 27, 2020 . 
8. ↑ Changelog of the Nextcloud Desktop Client. Retrieved August 28, 2020 . 
9. ↑ nextcloud / ios. In: Github.com . Retrieved March 8, 2020 . 
10. ↑ nextcloud / desktop. In: Github.com . Retrieved March 8, 2020 . 
11. ↑ The Next Cloud translation project on Transifex. Retrieved March 23, 2018 . 
12. ↑ tagesschau.de: Facebook scandal: Up to 87 million users affected. Retrieved April 11, 2018 . 
13. ↑ Nextcloud 9 update brings enterprise functions and client for iOS , bitblokes.de. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
14. ↑ Nextcloud comparison table. Retrieved May 26, 2017 . 
15. ↑ Announcement of the federal cloud. (PDF) Retrieved April 18, 2018 . 
16. ↑ Handelsblatt: EU countries rely on the German start-up Nextcloud. Retrieved August 26, 2019 . 
17. ↑ Next Cloud: The new standard in on-premises team collaboration: Next Cloud Hub. Retrieved February 19, 2020 . 
18. ↑ Next Cloud: IONOS and Next Cloud together for more data sovereignty. Retrieved February 19, 2020 . 
19. ↑ Next Cloud Talk. Accessed June 7, 2020 (English). 
20. ↑ Talk 9 brings grid view, file editing, open sources Talk back-end. Accessed June 7, 2020 (English). 
21. ↑ Next Cloud Talk
22. ↑ The Nextcloud Community: All Apps - App Store - Nextcloud. Retrieved March 17, 2018 . 
23. ↑ Nextcloud App Store. Retrieved August 19, 2018 . 
24. ↑ Next Cloud Introduces collaborative rich text editor. Retrieved July 19, 2019 . 
25. ↑ Nextcloud releases GDPR Compliance kit for on-premises collaboration solution. Retrieved May 24, 2018 . 
26. ↑ Nextcloud Desktop Client. Nextcloud, accessed April 21, 2018 . 
27. ↑ android: ? Nextcloud Android app. Nextcloud, February 12, 2018, accessed on February 12, 2018 . 
28. ↑ ios: ? Nextcloud iOS app. Nextcloud, February 12, 2018, accessed on February 12, 2018 . 
29. ↑ windows-universal: ? Nextcloud Windows Mobile app. Nextcloud, January 7, 2018, accessed on February 12, 2018 . 
30. ↑ Nextcloud: Outlook add-in. Retrieved May 23, 2018 . 
31. ↑ Nextcloud Filelink Add-On. Retrieved May 23, 2018 . 
32. ↑ The current version 3.6 of the free learning platform Moodle has native Netxcloud integration. Retrieved December 27, 2018 . 
33. ^ Zimbra Drive. Retrieved August 1, 2019 . 
34. ^ ^{A b} Frank Karlitschek: big changes: I am leaving ownCloud, Inc. today. April 27, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016 . 
35. ↑ Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols: OwnCloud founder forks popular open-source cloud. June 2, 2016, accessed September 22, 2016 . 
36. ↑ ownCloud Statement Concerning next cloud . In: ownCloud . June 2, 2016 ( owncloud.com [accessed March 11, 2018]).
37. ↑ ownCloud Secures Financing and Expands its Management Team - ownCloud . In: ownCloud . July 14, 2016 ( owncloud.com [accessed March 11, 2018]).
38. ↑ Maintenance and Release Schedule. Retrieved January 8, 2019 . 
39. ↑ Nextcloud Hub brings productivity to home office. Retrieved June 3, 2020 . 
40. ↑ Next Cloud: The new standard in on-premises team collaboration: Next Cloud Hub. Accessed January 20, 2020 (English). 
41. ↑ Nextcloud 17.Retrieved September 30, 2019 . 
42. ↑ Nextcloud 16 publication letter. Retrieved September 30, 2019 . 
43. ↑ Nextcloud 16 implements Access Control Lists to replace classic File Servers. April 25, 2019, accessed April 27, 2019 . 
44. ↑ Nextcloud 16 introduces machine learning based security and usability features, ACL permissions and cross-app projects. April 25, 2019, accessed April 27, 2019 . 
45. ↑ Nextcloud 16 allows you to link resources to keep track of your projects. April 25, 2019, accessed April 27, 2019 . 
46. ↑ Talk 6 brings Commands, improved user experience and more. April 25, 2019, accessed April 27, 2019 . 
47. ↑ Release Writing Next Cloud 15 Accessed on 10 December 2018 . 
48. ↑ Activity Pub. Accessed December 25, 2018 . 
49. ↑ Release Writing Next Cloud 14 Accessed on 24 September 2018 . 
50. ↑ Nextcloud 13th publication letter. Retrieved February 7, 2018 . 
51. ↑ Nextcloud Talk. Retrieved February 12, 2018 . 
52. ↑ Next Cloud: Next Cloud wants to check passwords against database of HaveIBeenPwned - The most popular self-hosted file share and collaboration platform . In: Nextcloud . ( nextcloud.com [accessed March 16, 2018]).
53. ↑ Nextcloud 12 release letter. Retrieved May 31, 2017 . 
54. ↑ Global Scale. Retrieved May 4, 2018 . 
55. ↑ Release Writing Next Cloud 11 Accessed on 31 May 2017 . 
56. ↑ Next Cloud: Next Cloud Box - The most popular self-hosted file share and collaboration platform . In: Nextcloud . ( nextcloud.com [accessed March 17, 2018]).
57. ↑ Next Cloud Box - a private cloud and IoT solution for home users - from Next cloud, Canonical and WDLabs box. Nextcloud, September 16, 2016, accessed September 22, 2016 . 
58. ↑ Kevin Parrish: Source confirms Western Digital is closing WDLabs and canceling projects. Digital Trends, June 22, 2017, accessed October 5, 2018 . 
59. ↑ Swapnil Bhartiya: Everything you need to know about cloud Next box. CIO.com , September 16, 2016, accessed September 22, 2016 .