--- title: Sync Gateway description: Sync Gateway is a secure, high-performance gateway designed for cloud-to-edge data synchronization. pubDate: 2026-08-17T09:53:44.266Z antora: editUrl: https://github.com/couchbase/docs-sync-gateway/edit/release/3.3/modules/ROOT/pages/introduction.adoc xref: xref:3.3@sync-gateway::introduction.adoc[] --- [Consult the llms.txt file for a full list of contents](/llms.txt) [View original HTML](/sync-gateway/3.3/introduction.html) # Sync Gateway Sync Gateway is a secure, high-performance gateway designed for cloud-to-edge data synchronization. It serves as the synchronization server in a Couchbase Mobile deployment, enabling mobile, web, and IoT applications to view and sync data with Couchbase Server. You can use Sync Gateway in conjunction with Couchbase Lite for full Bi-directional sync between edge devices and the cloud. It provides fine-grained access control, RESTful API, and secure sync capabilities. ![cbm architecture](_images/cbm-architecture.png) Figure 1\. Couchbase Mobile — Deployment Architecture As you can see from [Figure 1](#fig-mobile-server) Sync Gateway synchronizes changes made by web clients through its REST API, Couchbase Lite mobile-device applications, and Couchbase Server buckets. You can read more about the Data Synchronization process in [Sync with Couchbase Server](sync/sync-with-couchbase-server.md). Some of its most central, and commonly used features, are those used to secure [Access Control](access-control/access-control-model.md). Sync Gateway assures secure access control using: * **User authentication**, which ensures that only authorized users can connect to Sync Gateway. For more information see the [Users](access-control/users.md), [Roles](access-control/roles.md) and [User Authentication](security/authentication-users.md) content. * **Data Routing**, which ensures that authorized users can only access documents in those [Channels](access-control/channels.md) assigned to them and only in accordance with their assigned privileges. You can set those privileges to confer [Read Access](access-control/access-control-how-control-document-access.md#lbl-read-access) and-or [Write Access](access-control/access-control-how-control-document-access.md#lbl-write-access) as required. The business logic behind the validation and authorization of document access is provided by the customizable [Sync Function](access-control/sync-function/sync-function.md). ## Why Use Sync Gateway? * Bi-directional synchronization: Sync data between Couchbase Lite clients and Couchbase Server with real-time updates. * Secure access control: Supports RBAC, channels, and sync functions. * RESTful API: Public, Admin and Metric REST API interfaces for data and configuration access. * Scalable architecture: Designed for high-throughput, cloud-to-edge synchronization. ## Key Capabilities * Fine-grained data distribution using channels for efficient synchronization. * Sync Function support: Customizable business logic for validation, transformation, and access control. * Role-Based Access Control. * RESTful API: Public, Admin and Metric REST API interfaces for data and configuration access. * Integration with Couchbase Lite and Couchbase Server. * Supports peer-to-peer, cloud, and hybrid sync topologies. # > [!TIP] > For more information about the latest changes to Sync Gateway, see [New In 3.3](whatsnew.md). ## Get Started Get started with Sync Gateway, from preparing your environment to installing and verifying your installation. * [Prepare your environment](start-here/get-started-prepare.md) * [Install Sync Gateway](start-here/get-started-install.md) * [Verify your installation](start-here/get-started-verify-install.md) ## Data Modeling Learn how to design and structure your data buckets and documents using Sync Gateway. * [Data Modelling](data-modeling.md) ## Configuration Learn how to configure Sync Gateway for cloud to edge synchronization including bootstrap, database settings, security, and more. * [Bootstrap Configuration](configuration/configuration-schema-bootstrap.md) * [Database Configuration](configuration/configuration-schema-database.md) * [Database Security](configuration/configuration-schema-db-security.md) * [Access Control Configuration](configuration/configuration-schema-access-control.md) * [Import Filter Configuration](configuration/configuration-schema-import-filter.md) * [Inter-Sync Gateway Replication Configuration](configuration/configuration-schema-isgr.md) * [Using External Javascript Functions](configuration/configuration-javascript-functions.md) * [Configuration Environment Variables](configuration/configuration-environment-variables.md) ## Security Implement comprehensive security measures to protect your data and control access to Sync Gateway. * [Secure Sync Gateway Access](security/secure-sgw-access.md) * [User Authentication](security/authentication-users.md) * [TLS Certificate Authentication](security/authentication-certs.md) * [Audit Logging](security/audit-logging.md) ## Access Control Configure fine-grained access control with users, roles, channels, and sync functions. * [Access Control Concepts](access-control/access-control-concepts.md) * [Sync Function](access-control/sync-function/sync-function.md) * [How to](access-control/access-control-how.md) * [Auto-Purge on Channel Access Revocation](access-control/auto-purge-channel-access-revocation.md) ## REST API Interact with Sync Gateway programmatically using comprehensive REST API interfaces. * [Secure API Access](rest-api/rest-api-access.md) * [Admin REST API](rest-api/rest-api-admin.md) * [Metrics REST API](rest-api/rest-api-metrics.md) * [Public REST API](rest-api/rest-api.md) * [RBAC Role — Endpoint Cross-reference](rest-api/rest-api-access-rbac-roles.md) ## Sync Synchronize data between Sync Gateway and your applications, servers, and other Sync Gateway instances. * [Sync with Couchbase Server](sync/sync-with-couchbase-server.md) * [Sync with Couchbase Lite](sync/sync-using-app.md) * [Inter-Sync Gateway Replication](sync/sync-inter-syncgateway-overview.md) * [Delta Sync](sync/delta-sync.md) * [Import Processing](sync/import-processing.md) ## Manage Perform administrative and operational tasks to maintain and monitor Sync Gateway. * [Revisions](manage/revisions.md) * [Tombstones](manage/managing-tombstones.md) * [Resync](manage/resync.md) * [View Statistics and Metrics](manage/stats-monitoring.md) * [Take Database Offline/Online](manage/database-offline.md) * [Logging](manage/logging.md) ## Deploy Deploy Sync Gateway in production environments with scalability and reliability considerations. * [Using the Command Line](deploy/command-line-options.md) * [Load Balancer](deploy/load-balancer.md) * [Webhooks](deploy/webhooks.md) * [Integrate Prometheus](deploy/stats-prometheus.md) * [Indexing](deploy/indexing.md) * [Deploying a Sync Gateway Cluster](use-kubernetes/deploy-cluster-to-kubernetes.md) ## Server Compatibility Understand Sync Gateway compatibility with Couchbase Server features and services. * [Buckets](server-compatibility/server-compatibility-buckets.md) * [Collections](server-compatibility/server-compatibility-collections.md) * [Eventing](server-compatibility/server-compatibility-eventing.md) * [Transactions](server-compatibility/server-compatibility-transactions.md) * [XDCR](server-compatibility/server-compatibility-xdcr.md) * [Backup and Restore](server-compatibility/server-compatibility-backups.md)