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File Sharing Server

Secure LAN file sharing with a browser-based UI.

This project lets you share one or more local folders over HTTP/HTTPS with token-based access, upload controls, and activity logging.

Features

• Token-protected share links
• Browser UI for browse, upload, and download
• Optional HTTPS with auto-generated self-signed certificate
• Per-share controls:
  • Max upload size
  • Allowed file extensions
  • Optional expiration
  • Description metadata
• Share management commands (share, list, remove, config, status)
• Basic rate limiting (enabled by default)
• Activity logging in local data directory

Requirements

• Python 3.9+
• Linux, macOS, or Windows

Installation

Option 1: Editable install (development)

pip install -e .

Option 2: Standard install

pip install .

After install, you can run either:

file-sharing-server --help

or:

python -m file_sharing_server --help

Quick Start

Share a folder and start the server:

python -m file_sharing_server share /path/to/folder

Default bind is 0.0.0.0:8000.

The command prints:

• Share URL with share token
• Admin URL with master token

Open the printed URL in any browser on your network.

CLI Usage

Global option:

python -m file_sharing_server --data-dir ./data <command> [options]

Commands:

share

Create a share and start the server.

python -m file_sharing_server share /path/to/folder \
  --host 0.0.0.0 \
  --port 8000 \
  --description "Team drop" \
  --max-size 500 \
  --allowed-types pdf,txt,zip \
  --expires-in 24 \
  --https

Options:

• --host bind address (default 0.0.0.0)
• --port port (default 8000)
• --description text label for share
• --max-size max upload size in MB (default 500)
• --allowed-types comma-separated extensions
• --expires-in expiration in hours
• --ui-file custom HTML UI path
• --https enable TLS (self-signed cert)
• --no-rate-limit disable rate limiting

list

List active shares.

python -m file_sharing_server list

remove

Remove share by ID.

python -m file_sharing_server remove <share_id>

config

Update share settings.

python -m file_sharing_server config <share_id> --max-size 1000 --allowed-types iso,zip

status

Show status, including data dir and active share count.

python -m file_sharing_server status

Data and Logs

Default runtime data directory is ./data (or custom via --data-dir).

Typical files:

• shares.json share metadata
• master_token.txt admin token
• activity.log request/activity log

Security Notes

• Tokens grant access. Share them only with intended users.
• Use --https on untrusted networks.
• Restrict file types and max upload size where possible.
• Rotate shares/tokens by removing and recreating shares if needed.

Packaging and Builds

• Python package config: pyproject.toml
• PyInstaller spec: file_sharing_server.spec
• Build helper scripts:
  • build_linux.sh
  • build_windows.bat
• Extra build documentation: BUILD.md

Development

Install dev dependencies:

pip install -r requirements-dev.txt

Run lint/tests as configured in your environment.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE.