OpenDrop

A free, secure, open-source file sharing tool.
Transfer files across your local network directly from device to device using WebRTC, or upload and share via link.

Live Demo • Report a Bug • Request a Feature

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Table of Contents

• About
• How It Works
• How to Use
• Local Development
  • Prerequisites
  • 1. Clone the Repository
  • 2. Install Dependencies
  • 3. Run the Signaling Server
  • 4. Serve the Frontend
• Running Tests
• Self-Hosting
  • Frontend — GitHub Pages
  • Backend — Signaling Server
• License & Attribution

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About

OpenDrop lets you share files instantly — no accounts, no cloud storage, no middleman. It works in two modes:

• Same-Network Transfer — Peer-to-peer, directly between devices on the same Wi-Fi. Files never touch any server.
• Share via Link — Upload a file and get a shareable download link that expires in 24 hours.

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How It Works

OpenDrop is split into two parts:

Part	Description
Client (Frontend)	A static HTML/CSS/JS site. Manages the UI and WebRTC peer-to-peer connections. Hosted on GitHub Pages.
Server (Backend)	A lightweight Node.js WebSocket signaling server. Matches devices on the same network and brokers the initial WebRTC handshake. Also handles file uploads for shareable links.

Privacy note: For local transfers, your files are sent entirely peer-to-peer over WebRTC Data Channels and never touch the signaling server.

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How to Use

Same-Network Transfer

1. Open OpenDrop on two devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. The devices will auto-discover each other — no pairing or setup needed.
3. Click a peer's name to select a file and send it directly (peer-to-peer, no server involved).

Share via Link

1. Click "Share via Link" on any device.
2. Select a file to upload — you'll receive a shareable download link.
3. Send the link to anyone. The link expires after 24 hours.

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Local Development

Since the frontend uses native ES Modules, no bundler or build tool is required.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following installed before getting started:

Tool	Version	Purpose
Node.js	v16 or higher	Runs the signaling server
npm	Comes with Node.js	Installs server dependencies
Python 3	v3.x	Serves the static frontend locally

You can verify your installations by running:

node --version
npm --version
python3 --version

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1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/DhanushNehru/OpenDrop.git
cd OpenDrop

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2. Install Dependencies

The signaling server has its own package.json. Navigate to the server directory and install its dependencies:

cd server
npm install

This installs all required Node.js packages listed in server/package.json (such as the WebSocket library).

Note: The frontend has no dependencies to install — it runs as plain HTML/CSS/JS in the browser.

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3. Run the Signaling Server

From inside the server directory, start the server:

node index.js

You should see output confirming the server is running (e.g., Signaling server listening on port 3000).

Keep this terminal window open. The signaling server must be running for peer discovery and file-link uploads to work.

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4. Serve the Frontend

Open a new terminal window, navigate to the client directory, and start a local HTTP server using Python:

cd client
python3 -m http.server 8080

Then open your browser and go to:

http://localhost:8080

Why not just open index.html directly? Because the frontend uses ES Modules (type="module"), which browsers block when loaded via file:// URLs due to CORS restrictions. A local HTTP server is required.

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Connecting the Frontend to Your Local Server

By default, the frontend is configured to point to the production signaling server. For local development, update the SIGNALING_URL variable in /client/main.js to point to your local server:

// client/main.js
const SIGNALING_URL = "ws://localhost:3000"; // ← change this for local dev

Revert this change before pushing to production.

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Full Local Setup (Quick Reference)

# Terminal 1 — Start the signaling server
git clone https://github.com/DhanushNehru/OpenDrop.git
cd OpenDrop/server
npm install
node index.js

# Terminal 2 — Serve the frontend
cd OpenDrop/client
python3 -m http.server 8080

Then open http://localhost:8080 in your browser.

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Running Tests

Prerequisites

• Node.js 16+ and npm installed
• Server dependencies installed in the server folder (npm install)

Commands

From the project root:

cd server
npx vitest run

Or run the npm test script (watch mode):

cd server
npm test

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Self-Hosting

Frontend — GitHub Pages

This repository includes a GitHub Action to automatically deploy the client folder to GitHub Pages.

1. Go to your repository Settings on GitHub.
2. Navigate to Pages in the left sidebar.
3. Under Build and deployment, set the source to GitHub Actions.
4. The site will automatically deploy on every push to main.

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Backend — Signaling Server

You can deploy the backend for free using Koyeb or Render.

1. Log into Koyeb or Render and select "New Web Service".

2. Connect your GitHub repository.

3. Use the following build settings:

   Setting	Value
   Root Directory	server
   Build Command	npm install
   Start Command	node index.js

4. Once deployed, copy the generated URL (e.g., wss://your-app-name.koyeb.app).

5. Update the SIGNALING_URL variable in /client/main.js with your new URL:

   const SIGNALING_URL = "wss://your-app-name.koyeb.app";

6. Push to main — the GitHub Action will redeploy the frontend automatically.

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License & Attribution

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE for details.

Attribution matters:

• If you redistribute or create derivatives, keep the license and notices intact.
• Please keep the NOTICE file (or equivalent visible attribution) with your distribution.

Community request (not a legal requirement):

• If you reuse OpenDrop, please mention the original project and author.git
• If possible, let the author know by opening an issue or discussion in this repository.git