At the official 1.5–2 KB per entry rule, one million files/folders need roughly 1.5–2 GB solely for the in-memory tree before overhead.
Photo, development and document trees with huge file counts.Requisitos de hardware do Resilio Sync: RAM, CPU, ficheiros e largura de banda
Saiba quais são os requisitos de RAM por ficheiro, indexação do CPU, armazenamento e largura de banda do Resilio Sync e escolha o hardware ZimaOS adequado.
Resilio Sync requirements at a glance
Resilio Sync does not publish a single host RAM minimum, but it does publish a very useful sizing rule: Sync requires about 1.5–2 KB of RAM for every file and folder it manages because the complete folder tree is kept in memory. That makes file count—not only total bytes—the key memory variable.
- RAM formula
- Official guidance: about 1.5–2 KB RAM per file and folder managed, depending on path length.
- 100,000 entries
- Approximately 150–200 MB just for in-memory file/folder tree metadata, before normal process/OS overhead.
- 1,000,000 entries
- Approximately 1.5–2 GB just for the in-memory tree, before process/OS overhead.
- CPU
- Indexing and hashing drive CPU demand. worker_threads_count defaults to using as many CPU threads as available.
- Linux support
- Current Resilio Sync v3 supports Linux kernel 2.6.16+, glibc 2.3+ and x64/arm64 CPUs.
- Best Zima starting point
- ZimaBoard 2 832 is strong for ordinary sync sets; ZimaBoard 2 1664 becomes valuable for millions of files or a larger co-hosted sync/storage stack.
From official requirements to the right setup
Resilio Sync sizing starts with file/folder count, then total bytes and network throughput.
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Official requirements
Count files and folders, not just terabytes. Multiply entries by roughly 1.5–2 KB to estimate Resilio's in-memory tree requirement, then add operating-system and application headroom.
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Confirm your needs
Estimate initial indexing and rescan workload. Sync hashes and indexes files, and its worker_threads_count can use all available CPU threads by default.
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Leave room to grow
Plan storage and network throughput. Large files need disk and WAN/LAN bandwidth; millions of tiny files stress metadata and indexing more heavily.
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Run it on ZimaOS
Install Resilio Sync from ZimaOS, add a representative share and monitor RAM, indexing CPU, disk queue and transfer speed before adding more folders.
Check every playback client
- Files plus folders count
- Average path length
- Total data size
- Initial indexing/rescan frequency
- worker_threads_count
- LAN versus WAN synchronization
- Disk read/write performance
- Archive/.sync retention
Official minimum requirements
Resilio publishes platform requirements and a direct RAM-per-file/folder sizing rule rather than one universal RAM minimum.
File count is the most important RAM predictor. A 1 TB share with 10,000 huge files may use far less Sync metadata memory than a 100 GB share with millions of tiny files.
| Requirement | Official minimum | What this supports |
|---|---|---|
| RAM per file/folder | 1.5–2 KB | Official Resilio guidance; average cited as about 1.5 KB. |
| CPU | No numerical minimum | Indexing thread count is configurable and defaults to using available CPU threads. |
| Linux kernel | 2.6.16+ | Current Resilio Sync v3 requirement. |
| glibc | 2.3+ | Current Linux requirement. |
| Linux CPU | x64 / arm64 | Current Resilio Sync v3 supported Linux architectures. |
| GPU | Not required | Hashing, indexing and file transfer are CPU/storage/network workloads. |
When to upgrade your hardware
Upgrade Resilio Sync when file-count memory, indexing CPU or storage/network throughput becomes constrained.
Millions of files consume gigabytes of RAM
Initial indexing/rescans saturate CPU and disks
LAN/WAN transfer speed exceeds disk capability
Sync can use all available CPU threads for indexing and must hash/read the share, so new or frequently changing large trees can generate sustained CPU/I/O.
Large newly added shares or frequent mass changes.P2P transfer can push storage hard, especially when multiple peers or many small files are active.
2.5GbE/10GbE LAN sync or high-speed remote replication.Plan hardware growth with confidence
Scale Resilio Sync by controlling indexing parallelism and matching RAM/storage to file count.
Use the official RAM-per-entry formula before expanding shares
Estimate memory from file/folder count so a huge small-file tree does not unexpectedly exhaust the host.
Move from 8 GB to 16 GB when entry count and other containers justify it.Tune worker_threads_count
Resilio's power-user settings let you cap CPU threads used during indexing instead of always using all available cores.
Useful when Sync shares a host with latency-sensitive services.Use SSD/NVMe for metadata-heavy small-file workloads
Millions of small files and rescans create random I/O that can expose HDD latency even when total data size is modest.
Keep high-churn shares on faster storage where practical.Use multi-drive storage for large replicated datasets
When total synchronized capacity and backups become the constraint, NAS-class storage matters more than the Sync process itself.
ZimaCube is appropriate when capacity and redundancy drive the design.Can it run on ZimaOS?
Resilio Sync is currently available in the ZimaOS App Store under Productivity.
Install Resilio Sync from ZimaOS
Use the packaged peer-to-peer synchronization service and map persistent sync folders/configuration.
Open Resilio Sync in the ZimaOS App StoreUse the official per-file RAM rule
Resilio documents roughly 1.5–2 KB RAM for every file and folder because it keeps the entire tree in memory.
Read Resilio memory guidanceUse current Sync v3 platform support
Current Linux support is x64/arm64 with kernel 2.6.16+ and glibc 2.3+.
Read Resilio Sync system requirementsChoose Zima hardware for Resilio Sync
Resilio Sync is unusual because official memory sizing scales directly with file/folder count. Count entries before choosing RAM.
How many files/folders and how much data will Resilio manage?
Normal household/small-office shares
ZimaBoard 2 832 provides ample memory for many normal sync trees and dual 2.5GbE networking.
- Normal Resilio Sync hostZimaBoard 2 832
- Millions of entries / more containersZimaBoard 2 1664
Large replicated storage dataset
Use ZimaCube when synchronized capacity and multi-drive storage become the primary requirement.
- Multi-drive sync serverZimaCube 2 Standard
- Larger 10GbE sync/storage platformZimaCube 2 Pro
No fixed file-count or transfer-speed guarantee is implied. Path length, peer count, encryption, disk latency, indexing, file churn and network all affect real usage.
| Zima hardware | Best for | Example workload | Core configuration | Recommended boundary | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZimaBoard 2 832 | Normal peer-to-peer sync and backup folders. | Hundreds of thousands of entries, normal indexing and 2.5GbE-class LAN transfers depending on disk. |
|
Very large multi-million-entry trees can consume multiple GB of RAM before other services are counted. | Get Now |
| ZimaBoard 2 1664 | Large small-file trees or Resilio plus more containers. | More indexing and file-tree memory headroom. |
|
Storage IOPS and 2.5GbE can still be the transfer bottleneck. | Get Now |
| ZimaCube 2 Standard | Large replicated datasets needing multiple drive bays. | Resilio Sync, backups and multi-drive storage. |
|
8 GB RAM should still be checked against file-count formula for very large small-file trees. | Get Now |
| ZimaCube 2 Pro | Larger multi-drive and 10GbE-capable Resilio deployments. | Large data replication, more services and faster LAN storage workflows. |
|
10GbE throughput still depends on the disk pool and peer performance. | Get Now |
What the Press Says
Highlights from trusted reviewers worldwide.
“ZimaCube 2: Not just another NAS, tested with 25TB storage, local AI agents, 4K transcoding, and real homelab workflows.”Read full review
“The ZimaBoard 2 is a compact x86 server board that can be turned into a mini NAS, home server, media box, or self-hosting hub.”Read full review
“ZimaCube 2: A modern, high-performance NAS with plenty of room to grow—built for users who want more than basic storage.”Read full review
“Coverage focused on ZimaCube 2's open hardware foundation, no monthly fee, and self-hosting flexibility.”Read full review
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Stories and reviews from people who build with Zima every day.
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Zima Blade Little yet Powerful
Maybe I am not digital natives but I live with PCs since 12 years old in 1984 when IBM PC clone come to my home. Many years have passed and many operating system I've tried. For me Zima blade and CasaOS was a quantum leap for home PC enthusiast and server lab machine to make me stay curious and relevant for this era.
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I use ZimaCube Pro as 5th Proxmox cluster node. It runs several VMs and containers, including a VM with GPU passthrough to run a self-hosted LLM. A specific LXC container runs a Samba server for NAS capabilities using four of six RAID 6 SATA HDDs with ZFS.
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Great innovation for mini server!
It is very useful and makes a powerful mini server for many purposes, including university and college students in engineering and electronics. Thank you so much for making this server.
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Avaliação ZimaBoard 2
Construí um servidor de uso pessoal. O desempenho está muito bom e funciona perfeitamente onde quer que eu esteja. A surpresa é não dependermos de grandes estruturas para termos nosso próprio servidor de dados. Como iniciante, estou gostando bastante do ZimaOS, pois ele é simples e eficiente.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ topics follow query fan-out around Resilio's official RAM-per-file rule, million-file trees, indexing CPU, Linux/ARM64 and NAS storage.
How much RAM does Resilio Sync need?
Resilio's official guidance is about 1.5–2 KB of RAM for every file and folder it manages, plus normal application and operating-system overhead.
How much RAM does one million files need in Resilio Sync?
About 1.5–2 GB just for Resilio's in-memory file/folder tree, before process, database, OS and other-container overhead.
Why does Resilio Sync use lots of CPU during first setup?
It must index and hash the folder tree. By default, worker_threads_count can use as many CPU threads as are available.
Can I limit Resilio indexing CPU usage?
Yes. The power-user setting worker_threads_count can cap the number of CPU threads used during indexing.
Can Resilio Sync run on ARM64?
Yes. Current Sync v3 supports Linux x64 and arm64.
Does Resilio Sync need SSD storage?
Not always. HDDs work well for large sequential files, while millions of small files and frequent rescans benefit more from SSD/NVMe latency.
Can ZimaBoard 2 832 run Resilio Sync?
Yes for many normal deployments. Use the official file-count formula to check whether a very large small-file tree will consume too much of its 8 GB RAM.
When is ZimaCube 2 useful for Resilio Sync?
When synchronized capacity, backups and multi-drive storage become the main constraint or when a larger LAN replication platform is needed.
What sources and further reading informed this Resilio Sync hardware guide?
Resilio's official Out of Memory page provides the 1.5–2 KB per-file/folder memory formula. System requirements define current Linux x64/arm64 support, and power-user preferences document indexing thread controls. ZimaOS confirms the current Productivity app.
