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mat-sz
📲 WebRTC E2E encrypted file transfer - React + node.js
filedrop-web
Easy WebRTC file transfer. CLI tool is available here.
Self-hosting
A docker-compose configuration is available in the filedrop-docker repository.
Installation can be achieved without Docker as well:
First you need to clone, build and run filedrop-ws and a TURN server (like coturn), read the README in filedrop-ws for more information on configuration.
Then you need to clone this project, point it to the WebSockets backend (filedrop-ws) (in .env.local), build it and place it on some static file server (I use nginx for that). 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:
| Variable | Default value | Description |
|---|---|---|
REACT_APP_TITLE |
filedrop |
Application title. |
REACT_APP_SERVER |
ws://[hostname]:5000/ws |
WebSockets server location. |
REACT_APP_USE_BROWSER_ROUTER |
0 |
1 if you want the application to use BrowserRouter instead of HashRouter. |
REACT_APP_ABUSE_EMAIL |
null | E-mail to show in the Abuse section. |
REACT_APP_SHOW_CLI_TOOL_INFO |
0 |
1 if you want to link to droplol. |
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).
mat-sz