# What is Samba app?

**URL:** <https://discuss.freedombox.org/t/what-is-samba-app/699>\
**Category:** Development\
**Created:** [February 26, 2020, 11:03am UTC](https://discuss.freedombox.org/t/what-is-samba-app/699 "2020-02-26T11:03:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![vexch](https://discuss.freedombox.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/2bfe46/32.png) [@vexch](https://discuss.freedombox.org/u/vexch)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 11:03am UTC](https://discuss.freedombox.org/t/what-is-samba-app/699/1 "2020-02-26T11:03:01Z")

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On FreedomBox, Samba is described as a **File Sharing** app, on the [wiki](https://wiki.debian.org/FreedomBox/Manual/Samba) it is a **File Syncronization** app. But even better description may be **File Storage**.

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**Author:** ![njoseph](https://discuss.freedombox.org/user_avatar/discuss.freedombox.org/njoseph/32/17_2.png) [@njoseph](https://discuss.freedombox.org/u/njoseph)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://discuss.freedombox.org/t/what-is-samba-app/699/2 "2020-02-26T16:50:09Z")

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Agreed.

How about **Remote File Storage** or **Network File Storage**?

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**Author:** ![vexch](https://discuss.freedombox.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/2bfe46/32.png) [@vexch](https://discuss.freedombox.org/u/vexch)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://discuss.freedombox.org/t/what-is-samba-app/699/3 "2020-02-27T15:18:52Z")

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A longer name makes sense, FreedomBox already has a Distributed File Storage app. Another option would be **File Server**.

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**Author:** ![Dietmar](https://discuss.freedombox.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Dietmar](https://discuss.freedombox.org/u/Dietmar)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://discuss.freedombox.org/t/what-is-samba-app/699/4 "2020-02-27T18:48:35Z")

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To avoid confusion, “local” should appear in the name

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**Author:** ![njoseph](https://discuss.freedombox.org/user_avatar/discuss.freedombox.org/njoseph/32/17_2.png) [@njoseph](https://discuss.freedombox.org/u/njoseph)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 6:46am UTC](https://discuss.freedombox.org/t/what-is-samba-app/699/5 "2020-02-28T06:46:25Z")

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I’d prefer using terms that don’t conflict with the description of Syncthing and Nextcloud.  
Syncthing is a file synchronization solution. Nextcloud at the most basic level is a file server.  
File sharing conflicts with the Sharing app.

Of the current options we have, “Network File Storage” seems like the most accurate way of describing what Samba is.

“Remote File Storage” is somewhat confusing, since Samba app is meant for internal networks only.  
“Local” would also be confusing. Local to the client or local to the FreedomBox server?

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**Author:** ![balduin](https://discuss.freedombox.org/user_avatar/discuss.freedombox.org/balduin/32/336_2.png) [@balduin](https://discuss.freedombox.org/u/balduin)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://discuss.freedombox.org/t/what-is-samba-app/699/6 "2020-05-11T19:45:26Z")

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> [@njoseph](#):
>
> Network File Storage

I think that `Network File Storage` is the best term.

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**Author:** ![NickA](https://discuss.freedombox.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/3ab097/32.png) [@NickA](https://discuss.freedombox.org/u/NickA)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://discuss.freedombox.org/t/what-is-samba-app/699/7 "2020-05-13T20:17:32Z")

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> [@balduin](#):
>
> `Network File Storage`

How can it be clearer that it’s not a syncbox webcloud etc.?  
Maybe **[Network] Fileserver (smb/cifs network protocol)**?

And then what’s nextcloud?

**Web-Fileshost (Nextcloud)**?

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**Author:** ![vexch](https://discuss.freedombox.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/2bfe46/32.png) [@vexch](https://discuss.freedombox.org/u/vexch)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 12:47pm UTC](https://discuss.freedombox.org/t/what-is-samba-app/699/8 "2020-05-14T12:47:17Z")

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> [@NickA](#):
>
> How can it be clearer that it’s not a syncbox webcloud etc.?  
> Maybe **[Network] Fileserver (smb/cifs network protocol)**?
> 
> And then what’s nextcloud?
> 
> **Web-Fileshost (Nextcloud)**?

Network File Storage has been chosen for Samba. In the future, if FreedomBox introduces an other app to access storage then it is possible to rename it to something even more specific.