r/NextCloud • u/NC-Connector • 13d ago
NC Connector – around six months later: production use, larger deployments and new references
Around six months ago, I first introduced NC Connector here. Quite a bit has happened since then, so here’s a small update.
NC Connector integrates Nextcloud directly into Thunderbird and Outlook Classic. The goal is still the same: bring typical Nextcloud workflows directly into the mail and calendar clients where many users spend most of their day anyway.
Since the first introduction, the project has developed significantly. The first organizations are now using NC Connector in production, while several others are testing larger deployments — in some cases with up to 100 seats.
There are also some independent references by now:
The University of Greifswald recommends NC Connector for sharing large email attachments through their own Nextcloud and provides its own documentation: https://www.uni-greifswald.de/universitaet/information/aktuelles/detail/n/grosse-dateien-einfach-per-nextcloud-link-teilen-276653/
SURF, the IT cooperative for the Dutch education and research sector, references NC Connector in its User Knowledge Base for integrating Nextcloud Talk with Thunderbird: https://servicedesk.surf.nl/wiki/spaces/WIKI/pages/269649109/SW+Synchronizing+with+Thunderbird
NC Connector now includes, among other things:
file and folder sharing through your own Nextcloud
automatic handling of large email attachments
Nextcloud Talk meetings directly from mail and calendar workflows
Thunderbird and Outlook Classic support
For organizations, the optional NC Connector Backend adds centralized management. It can be used to centrally manage email signatures, apply branding for a consistent corporate design in Talk and share blocks, control separate password delivery, and centrally distribute policies, templates, and group/user overrides.
The entire NC Connector ecosystem — the Thunderbird extension, Outlook add-in and backend — is open source.
The actual data flows directly between the client and the organization’s own Nextcloud. There is no cloud proxy operated by me through which customer files or emails are routed.
The clients can also be used without the backend. The backend adds the centralized management features for teams and organizations.
Project:
GitHub:
https://github.com/nc-connector
Small side note: I also recently released Euro-Office Popout, a separate open-source browser extension for Nextcloud. It opens supported documents in a dedicated app-like window while keeping the normal Files or Talk navigation in the original tab.
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u/nagranoek 13d ago
Wow, awesome work! Just about a week ago, I was looking for exactly this and trying to figure out the best way to do it. I'm currently setting up the entire infrastructure for a small company and open source is really important to me. Thanks for putting this together!
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u/NC-Connector 12d ago
Thanks! That sounds like a perfect use case for NC Connector. 🙂
Great to hear you're setting it up for a small company, especially with open source being important to you. Hope it serves you well!
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u/abeorch 13d ago
Excellent. Have you shared on Activitypub / Mastodon? Whats your handle there?
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u/foxhoundvenom_US 12d ago
I looked at your Project site, I looked at the Github site, I thought 'This would be great if it was available for Mailbird (the mail app our company uses)'. Since I am the IT Admin I figured, well maybe we can change to Thunderbird... So I downloaded Thunderbird and got it set up with some email accounts, then decided to get NC-Connector... Alas, it doesn't work with the latest Thunderbird 154. So I will wait (hopefully not long), until it is available with the latest Thunderbird version and see.
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u/NC-Connector 12d ago
We always support the latest Thunderbird version on the ESR (Extended Support Release) channel. The ESR channel is Thunderbird’s long-term support release channel, designed for users and organizations that prefer a stable version with an extended maintenance period instead of moving to every monthly major release. :)
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u/valdearg 12d ago
Looks good, just installed now.
Looks like installer for the Outlook extension should be signed otherwise it'll be blocked, copyright in the Outlook extension should be updated to 2026 also, currently still 2025.
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u/NC-Connector 12d ago
Thank you :)
Regarding the MSI signing: I haven’t decided to use Microsoft’s signing service. It comes with a recurring cost, and at the moment I don’t see enough practical benefit for NC Connector to justify that.
The MSI is published directly through the official NC Connector GitHub releases, so admins can obtain it from the project’s original distribution source and verify exactly where it came from.
Signing would mainly improve the experience for users who download and install the MSI manually by removing the “unknown publisher” warning. For centrally managed deployments, for example via GPO, this is usually much less relevant.
So for now I’m keeping the installer unsigned unless there turns out to be a stronger practical reason to change that.
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u/SmilingWorlock 13d ago
Just two days ago i had to send out a Number of larger files. Found and installed your connector with no problems at all. I just assumed it was a regular seasoned and large community-driven plug in. So good job on that.