Introduction

Since 2008, Dropbox has enabled millions of people to sync and share files conveniently. The service’s popularity is well deserved: it’s free (for up to 2 GB of data); it works on virtually every modern computer and mobile device; a vast number of apps and services rely on it for storage and syncing; and it works almost transparently—it’s so fast and reliable that a user can easily forget it’s there.

For basic file syncing, Dropbox is incredibly easy to use. Download the app, install it, and log in—a process that might take a grand total of two minutes. Pop some files in your new Dropbox folder. Repeat with your other devices and watch your files appear on each. Done!

But behind this simple façade is a great deal of power and complexity. ...

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