Migrate from AnyType network to selfhosted sync

[DevLenn]

Have you read a contributing guide?

• I have read CONTRIBUTING.md
• I have searched the existing requests and didn't find any that were similar
• I have considered creating a pull request instead and want to proceed

Clear and concise description of the problem

I am currently using Anytype across multiple devices, but the data is fragmented because not every device has all the objects. While Tailscale allows partial syncing of some data, it cannot synchronize certain file types, such as images, which require devices to be on the same physical/local network.

I want to migrate from the official Anytype Network to a self-hosted (localhost) Anytype node. The localhost Anytype sync server will be accessed via Tailscale. However, there are several complications:

1. Device Fragmentation: Each device only has a partial subset of the total data. This makes creating a full backup from a single device impossible.

2. Key Limitations: The account/recovery key from the Anytype Network cannot be used directly with a self-hosted node. Self-hosted nodes require a separate key, so I cannot simply point my devices to localhost using the existing network key.

3. Data Type Constraints: Some objects, especially images, require devices to be on the same physical network to sync, so they cannot be fully synchronized over Tailscale.

Given these conditions, I cannot reliably consolidate all my data on one device before attempting a migration, and I cannot reuse my existing Anytype Network key on a self-hosted node.

Question:

Under these constraints, how can I migrate an Anytype network to a localhost/self-hosted instance while ensuring that no data is lost, considering that some objects (like images) require devices to be on the same physical network and the localhost sync server will be accessed via Tailscale?

Suggested solution

One possible approach could be:

Temporarily log in to the self-hosted node on a device using the existing Anytype Network key.

Push all objects and data from that device to the self-hosted sync server. This consolidates at least the data present on that device into the self-hosted environment.

Once the data is on the self-hosted server, reconfigure the device to join the new self-hosted network using a new self-hosted key.

Repeat this process for each device, gradually migrating all objects to the self-hosted network.

This method allows you to leverage the old key temporarily to get data onto the self-hosted server and then bring devices into the new self-hosted network without losing the objects available on each device.

Alternative

No response

Additional context

No response

[filip-anytype]

Thanks for the clarification. Just to make sure we’re understanding your setup correctly, could you confirm which network mode you’re currently using?

Are all your devices connected to the default Anytype Network, or are you already using a self-hosted or local node via Tailscale?

Also, when you mention that some data like images only syncs on the same local network, could you share a bit more detail on what you’re observing? For example, are images missing entirely on some devices, or do they fail to load?

This will help us better understand what’s happening before looking into the migration part.

[DevLenn]

I am currently using the Anytype network without a self-hosted node. My Anytype storage is almost full. However, syncing still seems to work according to my understanding, and this appears to be confirmed in practice so far—but only when all devices are on the same network.
When all devices are in the same Tailscale network, text syncs correctly, but for images and files, a placeholder appears saying "failed to load." In the same "real" physical network, the "failed to load" issue occurs less frequently. It happens most often on the Android app.

The main issue is that data in Anytype is fragmented across multiple devices that cannot all connect to the same physical network. While Tailscale enables partial syncing, some data types (like images) cannot be fully synchronized this way.
The goal is to migrate to a self-hosted Anytype node for better control and backup. However, this is difficult because:

• Each device only holds part of the total data
• Existing network keys cannot be reused for self-hosting
• Switching to a self-hosted key risks losing unsynced local data

A potential solution is to temporarily use each device to push its available data to the self-hosted server, gradually consolidating everything without losing information. However, this would require a device to be connected to both the Anytype network and the self-hosted network at the same time.