[SyncServer] Add instructions for credentials

[PetitPotiron]

It is very hard to understand, when self-hosting your syncserver, where you must put your credentials in order to synchronize the whole thing.

This forum topic illustrates the case. There's no prompt anywhere asking for the credentials, and it's not obvious that the credentials must be set in AnkiWeb Account, because it's written everywhere that's it's a different service, which is not affiliated with Anki...

I also struggled for a long time before finally figuring it out.

So anyways, the UI deserves to be enhanced as well.

In this PR, I added instructions for where to put the user credentials when using a self-hosted syncserver.

[PetitPotiron]

This forum topic also shows that it's unclear

[GithubAnon0000]

it's not obvious that the credentials must be set in AnkiWeb Account, because it's written everywhere that's it's a different service, which is not affiliated with Anki...

Not sure where you read that. AnkiWeb is an official webservice affiliated with Anki, see e.g. the official FAQs (https://faqs.ankiweb.net/anki-knockoffs.html).

However, if you setup your custom sync server the Anki GUI still claims you sync with "AnkiWeb", even though that isn't the case anymore. You sync with your own sync server instead.

[brishtibheja]

FYI its actually AnkiDroid and Anki that are different.

…

On Sun, 28 Sep 2025, 22:17 GithubAnon0000, ***@***.***> wrote: *GithubAnon0000* left a comment (ankitects/anki-manual#451) <#451 (comment)> it's *not* obvious that the credentials must be set in *AnkiWeb Account*, because it's written everywhere that's it's a different service, which is not affiliated with Anki... Not sure where you read that. AnkiWeb *is* an official webservice affiliated with Anki, see e.g. the official FAQs ( https://faqs.ankiweb.net/anki-knockoffs.html). However, if you setup your custom sync server the Anki GUI still claims you sync with "AnkiWeb", even though that isn't the case anymore. You sync with your own sync server instead. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#451 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BATHNXVFHYL754ALTTWSQF33VAGIVAVCNFSM6AAAAACG7PB7NWVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZTGNBTHA3DSNJWHE> . You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[PetitPotiron]

because it's written everywhere that's it's a different service, which is not affiliated with Anki...

Not sure where you read that. AnkiWeb is an official webservice affiliated with Anki, see e.g. the official FAQs (https://faqs.ankiweb.net/anki-knockoffs.html).

I apologize for the misunderstanding, I don't know where I read that either.

However, if you setup your custom sync server the Anki GUI still claims you sync with "AnkiWeb", even though that isn't the case anymore. You sync with your own sync server instead.

That's the problem, in my opinion. I believe it's not clear enough. And several forum posts show so too.

Even though it's written at the beginning of the SyncServer doc, not every user who uses a custom SyncServer will be its Administrator, and thus we should also explain it in the section dedicated to the Client setup, for both people who don't read beginnings of documents (almost always prerequisites, which can easily be fulfilled) and people who read the section they are interested in.