BitTorrent Sync open to all, lets you run your own Dropbox-alternative

BitTorrent has publicly released Sync, an app that lets users securely sync files and folders across multiple devices.

The app allows users to experience the functionality of file sync and storage services like Dropbox and Skydrive, but doesn't require them to store their files on a third-party server. So they can access their files across multiple devices via the BitTorrent technology and there's no limit to file size, transfer or storage limits. Also, since a third-party doesn't have access to user data, and data is encrypted, there are no privacy and security concerns.

In fact, BitTorrent mentions that BitTorrent Sync is specifically designed to handle large files, and encourages users to sync original, high quality, uncompressed files or for remote backups.

Available for Windows, OS X, Linux PCs in addition to offering a web interface, the current version of Sync is still in alpha.

Users can simply install the Sync client on their device, choose the folder they wish to sync, and generate a secret (kind of a password but randomly generated) for that folder. The same secret has to be entered on the other device after choosing a folder to sync data across them.

BitTorrent had started the service in private alpha in January and claims to have synced more than 200TB of data across 20,000 users who signed for it, since then.

"We're really excited about opening up this Alpha. The feedback has been universally positive. Those in the closed Alpha have already synced more than 200TB since we started the program," said BitTorrent in a blogpost announcing the public release of Sync.

BitTorrent has added several new features to the app including one-way synchronization, one-time secrets, option to exclude specific files/directories, advanced preferences configuration, support for additional types of NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices, and an improved Linux WebUI.