filedrop

Easy peer-to-peer file transfer.

Self-hosting

Docker

Requirements:

• docker
• docker-compose
• bash
• openssl

Clone the repo and run the following command:

./docker-start.sh

Make sure that your user is in the docker group.

In case another reverse proxy is used make sure to change the default port (from 80) and to add the X-Forwarded-For header with client's IP address.

TURN uses TCP port 3478 and UDP ports 49152-65535.

docker-start.sh arguments

Manual

First you need to set up a TURN server (like coturn).

Then you need to clone this repository, run yarn build and then yarn start. I also use nginx to proxy the back end through it. Here's a guide on how to achieve that.

Environment variables

The following variables are used in the build process of the frontend:

The following variables are used in the WebSockets server:

FAQ

What is the motivation behind the project?

I didn't feel comfortable logging into my e-mail account on devices I don't own just to download an attachment and cloud services have extremely long URLs that aren't really easy to type.

Where do my files go after I send them through the service?

To the other device. Sometimes the (encrypted, since WebRTC uses encryption by default) data goes through the TURN server I run. It's immediately discarded after being relayed. File metadata also is not saved.

Doesn't this exist already?

While ShareDrop and SnapDrop are both excellent projects and most definitely exist, I felt the need to create my own version for a several reasons:

• I wanted to build something using React.js and TypeScript.
• ShareDrop doesn't work when the devices are on different networks but still behind NAT.
• I didn't like the layout and design of both, I feel like the abstract design of FileDrop makes it easier to use.
• I was not aware of these projects while I started working on this project.
• ShareDrop's URLs are extremely long.

How is it related to the other projects you've mentioned?

I don't use PeerJS (while the other two projects do) and I also host TURN and WebSocket servers myself (instead of relying on Firebase). Sometimes you may get connected to Google's STUN server (always if a TURN server is not provided in the configuration).

HTTPS setup

Setup with a reverse proxy in front of nginx

1. Configure your reverse proxy to proxy requests to 127.0.0.1:PORT and then follow your usual instructions for using SSL certificates with said proxy.
2. Rebuild the application.
3. Make sure the TURN server can be connected to from the outside.

Nginx configuration example

More details available here: https://www.nginx.com/blog/websocket-nginx/

worker_processes auto;

events {
  worker_connections 1024;
}

http {
  upstream filedrop {
    server 127.0.0.1:5000; # 5000 = PORT
  }

  map $http_upgrade $connection_upgrade {
    default upgrade;
    '' close;
  }

  # ...

  server {
    listen 80;
    # server_name should be configured here.
    # HTTPS should be configured here. (certbot will handle this for you, if you're using Let's Encrypt.)

    # ...

    location / {
      proxy_pass http://filedrop;
      proxy_http_version 1.1;
      proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
      proxy_set_header Host $host;
      proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
      proxy_set_header Connection $connection_upgrade;
    }
  }
}