Nextcloud stopped being a fast, reliable file sync tool a long time ago.
It’s become a bloated “groupware suite” full of Talk, Office, AI, and half-finished apps…
while the core sync still chokes on large folders and locks files like it’s 2015.

The Core Problem PHP-FPM and mod_php are ancient architectures - every request spins up, runs, and dies. No persistent memory, no connection reuse, and no async I/O. Result: slow sync, race conditions, and constant “file locked” errors. Tons of open GitHub issues about sync bugs, upgrades, and no action from nextcloud

What they shoud do: Hyperf + Swoole
Swoole turns PHP into a high-performance async server - persistent memory, connection pooling, non-blocking I/O.
Hyperf+swoole can rival GOlang. Hyperf builds on it: native WebSockets, coroutine HTTP, and microservice-ready architecture. You get live sync, push notifications, and massive concurrency with a fraction of the resource cost. Add TUS (resumable uploads) and you finally have reliable file transfer on bad connections.

I don’t want “Teams clone” bloat. We want reliable sync that just works. I’d rather self-host a lean, fast file system than manage ten half-integrated apps. Hyperf + Swoole is how you bring Dropbox-level sync to self-hosting without the pain.

Nextcloud could fix its image by: Refocusing on sync reliability and performance. Moving core services to a persistent, async engine (Swoole/hyperf, etc). Making “Nextcloud Core” modular - separate entirely from the groupware/ai/talk - I dont fucking need it. Until then, those who care about speed, concurrency, and modern PHP should look beyond the old PHP-FPM world.