Expandrive vs strongsync5/29/2023 Whereas FUSE is a really low level API exported into a safer user-space process, this is a little higher level. Provides data directly to spotlight indexes, etc. The whole macOS File Provider project is an off-shoot of the iCloud drive and iOS file provider projects, but with one key component they’ve added called the replicated extension that has an apple-blessed extension to APFS called “FPFS” (presumably file provider FS) that can intercept read/writes/etc to these on-disk placeholder files and download content (and thumbnails!) on demand. It’s a pretty cool framework, but pretty new (and a little raw).īox/Google/Dropbox/Microsoft will all eventually be using it, but the rollout has been slow. File Provider apps are userspace extensions that work with with placeholder files and on-demand hydration of remote files by the system via APFS. It’s a pretty big departure from the macFUSE style interfaces we've been using for years now. It’s basically a technology that enables something like Dropbox Smart Sync (project infinite) built directly into macOS fully managed by APFS. The replacement for apps like Google & Box Drive (and everyone else) is their new File Provider framework ( ), which they quietly launched but didn’t publicize at all. Just keeping it a little quiet right now since it’s not 100% done. This is the primary reason these Google/Box/etc aren’t shipping M1 versions of their software.īut that’s okay, they’ve got something better they’re working on. This is a terrible and unfriendly model for users (by design). On M1 machines any third party kernel extension requires a reboot into recovery mode, lowering the security settings, and then finishing the install. Third party kernel extensions on macOS are on the way out. I run ExpanDrive (We use a derivative of macFUSE ( ) on macOS. It's the future of native cloud storage on macOS. For native access with Explorer and other apps you’re going to want to use ExpanDrive.Hey all! This is something we've been working on for a while now. RClone for pushing in larger amounts of data or OpenSourceDrive (ODrive) are really the only options. Similar to the Mac, there isn’t much in the way for open-source clients on Windows. It adds cloud storage directly to Explorer and every other application on your PC, like Office, Photoshop and more. We’ve been shipping our fast and reliable client longer than anyone. If you’re looking for a drive mapper to get Google Drive into Explorer ExpanDrive is the best option out there. Google Drive on Windows Mapping Google Drive on Windows as a Drive Letter If you need a GUI based solution you can try out OpenSourceDrive (ODrive). RClone is also an option for pushing content into Google Drive on your mac. google-drive-ocamlfuse is a linux-first option that some people have limited success with on Mac. There aren’t too many good options for open-source clients on the mac. It is different from Strongsync in that it uses a custom kernel extension to present a virtual filesystem. It adds cloud storage directly to Finder and every other apps on your mac as a fast network filesystem that includes features like locking for MS Office Files, background transfer, and offline mode. Mount Google Drive as a Network DriveĮxpanDrive is our high-performance network drive for the cloud. Everything happens in response to user interaction. Unlike traditional sync clients it doesn’t pre-download data you’re not interested in or won’t use. It utilizes the macOS File Provider framework to locally sync only the remote content you’re interested in. Strongsync is ExpanDrive’s revolutionary new product to access cloud storage via on-demand sync. This puts your computer’s data outside your regular storage bucket, into a special “Computer” section of your account. You can look at using Google’s backup app, if you’re looking to backup your computer to the cloud. If you want to add Google Drive to Finder and other apps on your Mac, there are some great options. Desktop Google Drive Apps for the Mac Google Solutions Your Google Drive storage will be ready to go when you log in. To get started, head over to and log in using your Google Account. Especially if you’re editing content with apps on your computer like Office, Photoshop, etc. Managing and migrating data using the default web-based interface works well, but isn’t a good solution for regular day-to-day work. Your first 15GB comes free for a regular consumer account but you can easily bump it up to 100G for $20/year or 1TB for $99/year. It is the storage platform for all Google Workspace, Google for Education and regular Google Accounts. Google Drive is one of the most widely used cloud storage services in the world. Amazing macOS 11 File Provider for Google Drive Getting started with Google Drive
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