alternatives to copyparty

copyparty compared against all similar software i've bumped into

there is probably some unintentional bias so please submit corrections

currently up to date with awesome-selfhosted but that probably won't last

symbol legends

...in feature matrices:

█ = absolutely
╱ = partially
• = maybe?
= nope

...in reviews:

✅ = advantages over copyparty
- 💾 = what copyparty offers as an alternative
🔵 = similarities
⚠️ = disadvantages (something copyparty does "better")
🔥 = hazards

recommendations

kodbox (review) appears to be a fantastic alternative if you're not worried about running chinese software, with several advantages over copyparty
- but anything you want to share must be moved into the kodbox filesystem
seafile (review) and nextcloud (review) could be decent alternatives if you need something heavier than copyparty
- but their license (AGPL) is thorny
- and copyparty is way better at uploads in particular (resumable, accelerated)
- and anything you want to share must be moved into the respective filesystems
filebrowser (review) and dufs (review) are simpler copyparties but with a settings gui
- has some of the same strengths of copyparty, being portable and able to work with an existing folder structure
- ...but copyparty is better at uploads + some other things

feature comparisons

<&Kethsar> copyparty is very much bloat ed, so yeah

the table headers in the matrixes below are the different softwares, with a quick review of each software in the next section

the softwares,

C = copyparty
h2 = hfs2 🔥
h3 = hfs3
nc = nextcloud
sf = seafile
rc = rclone, specifically rclone serve webdav .
df = dufs
cs = chibisafe
kb = kodbox
fb = filebrowser
fg = filegator
sg = sftpgo
az = arozos

some softwares not in the matrixes,

updog
goshs
gimme-that
ass
linx
h5ai
autoindex
miniserve
pingvin-share

symbol legend,

█ = absolutely
╱ = partially
• = maybe?
= nope

general

feature / software	C	h2	h3	nc	sf	rc	df	cs	kb	fb	fg	sg	az
intuitive UX		╱	█	█	█		█	█	█	█	█	█	█
config GUI		█	█	█	█			█	█	█		█	█
good documentation			█	█	█	█	█			█	█	╱	╱
runs on iOS	╱					╱
runs on Android	█		█			█						█
runs on WinXP	█	█				█
runs on Windows	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	╱	█	█	█	█	╱
runs on Linux	█	╱	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█
runs on Macos	█		█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█
runs on FreeBSD	█		█	•	█	█	█	•	█	█		█
runs on Risc-V	█			█	█	█		•		█
runs on SGI IRIX	█			•
runs on aarch64-BE	█			•		•				•		•
portable binary	█	█	█			█	█			█		█	█
zero setup, just go	█	█	█			╱	█			█		╱	█
android app	╱			█	█
iOS app	╱			█	█

zero setup = you can get a mostly working setup by just launching the app, without having to install any software or configure whatever
C/copyparty remarks:
- no gui for server settings; only for client-side stuff
- runs on iOS / iPads using a-Shell (pretty good) or iSH (very slow) but cannot run in the background and is not able to share all of your phone storage (just a separate dedicated folder)
- android app is for uploading only
- no iOS app but has shortcuts for easy uploading
- validated on aarch64-BE by Øl Telecom during eth0:2025; photo1 and diploma
- validated on SGI IRIX (an O2) by Øl Telecom during 39c3; photo1 and screenshot
h2/hfs2 runs on linux through wine
rc/rclone must be started with the command rclone serve webdav . or similar
cs/chibisafe has undocumented windows support
sg/sftpgo:
- Must be launched with a command
- On Termux, just run pkg in sftpgo
az/arozos has partial windows support

file transfer

the thing that copyparty is actually kinda good at

feature / software	C	h2	h3	nc	sf	rc	df	cs	kb	fb	fg	sg	az
download folder as zip	█	█	█	█	╱		█		█	█	╱	█	╱
download folder as tar	█
upload	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	╱	█	█
parallel uploads	█			█	█		•		█	█	█		█
resumable uploads	█		█						█	█	█	╱
upload segmenting	█		█	█				█	█	█	█	╱	█
upload acceleration	█								█		█
upload verification	█			█	█				█
upload deduplication	█				█				█
upload a 999 TiB file	█				█	█	•		█		█	╱	╱
CTRL-V from device	█			█
race the beam ("p2p")	█
"tail -f" streaming	█
keep last-modified time	█		█	█	█	█						█
upload rules	╱	╱	╱	╱	╱			╱	╱		╱	╱	╱
┗ max disk usage	█	█	█		█				█			█	█
┗ max filesize	█							█			█	█	█
┗ max items in folder	█											╱
┗ max file age	█								█
┗ max uploads over time	█											╱
┗ compress before write	█
┗ randomize filename	█							█	█
┗ mimetype reject-list	╱								•	╱		╱	•
┗ extension reject-list	╱							█	•	╱		╱	•
┗ upload routing	█
checksums provided				█	█				█	╱
cloud storage backend	╱	╱	╱	█	█	█	╱			╱	█	█	╱

upload segmenting = files are sliced into chunks, making it possible to upload files larger than 100 MiB on cloudflare for example
upload acceleration = each file can be uploaded using several TCP connections, which can offer a huge speed boost over huge distances / on flaky connections -- like the good old download accelerators except in reverse
upload verification = uploads are checksummed or otherwise confirmed to have been transferred correctly
CTRL-V from device = press CTRL-C in Windows Explorer (or whatever) and paste into the webbrowser to upload it
race the beam = files can be downloaded while they're still uploading; downloaders are slowed down such that the uploader is always ahead
tail -f = when viewing or downloading a logfile, the connection can remain open to keep showing new lines as they are added in real time
upload routing = depending on filetype / contents / uploader etc., the file can be redirected to another location or otherwise transformed; mitigates limitations such as sharex#3992
- copyparty example: reloc-by-ext
checksums provided = when downloading a file from the server, the file's checksum is provided for verification client-side
cloud storage backend = able to serve files from (and write to) s3 or similar cloud services; ╱ means the software can do this with some help from rclone mount as a bridge
C/copyparty can reject uploaded files (based on complex conditions), for example by extension or mimetype
sf/seafile download-as-zip is not streaming; it creates the full zipfile before download can start, and fails on big folders
fg/filebrowser remarks:
- can provide checksums for single files on request
- can probably do extension/mimetype rejection similar to copyparty
fg/filegator download-as-zip is not streaming; it creates the full zipfile before download can start
sg/sftpgo:
- resumable/segmented uploads only over SFTP, not over HTTP
- upload rules are totals only, not over time
- can probably do extension/mimetype rejection similar to copyparty
az/arozos download-as-zip is not streaming; it creates the full zipfile before download can start, and fails on big folders

protocols and client support

feature / software	C	h2	h3	nc	sf	rc	df	cs	kb	fb	fg	sg	az
serve https	█		█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█
serve webdav	█			█	█	█	█		█			█	█
serve ftp (tcp)	█					█						█	█
serve ftps (tls)	█					█						█
serve tftp (udp)	█
serve sftp (ssh)	█					█						█	█
serve smb/cifs	╱					█
serve dlna						█
listen on unix-socket	█			█	█		█	█	█	█	█	█
zeroconf	█												█
supports netscape 4	╱					█					•		╱
...internet explorer 6	╱	█		█		█					•		╱
mojibake filenames	█			•	•	█	█	•	█	•		╱
undecodable filenames	█			•	•	█		•				╱

webdav = protocol convenient for mounting a remote server as a local filesystem; see zeroconf:
zeroconf = the server announces itself on the LAN, automatically appearing on other zeroconf-capable devices
mojibake filenames = filenames decoded with the wrong codec and then reencoded (usually to utf-8), so 宇多田ヒカル might look like ëFæ╜ôcâqâJâï
undecodable filenames = pure binary garbage which cannot be parsed as utf-8
- you can successfully play $'\355\221' with mpv through mounting a remote copyparty server with rclone, pog
C/copyparty remarks:
- extremely minimal samba/cifs server
- netscape 4 / ie6 support is mostly listed as a joke altho some people have actually found it useful (ie4 tho)
sg/sftpgo translates mojibake filenames into valid utf-8 (information loss)
az/arozos has readonly-support for older browsers; no uploading

server configuration

feature / software	C	h2	h3	nc	sf	rc	df	cs	kb	fb	fg	sg	az
config from cmd args	█		█			█	█			█		╱	╱
config files	█	█	█	╱	╱	█		█		█	•	╱	╱
runtime config reload	█	█	█					█	█	█	█		█
same-port http / https	█
listen multiple ports	█											█
virtual file system	█	█	█				█					█
reverse-proxy ok	█		█	█	█	█	█	█	•	•	•	█	╱
folder-rproxy ok	█		█		█	█		•	•	█	•		•

folder-rproxy = reverse-proxying without dedicating an entire (sub)domain, using a subfolder instead
sg/sftpgo:
- config: user can be added by cmd command in Portable mode; if not in Portable mode users must be added through gui / api calls
az/arozos:
- configuration is primarily through GUI
- reverse-proxy is not guaranteed to see the correct client IP

server capabilities

feature / software	C	h2	h3	nc	sf	rc	df	cs	kb	fb	fg	sg	az
accounts	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█	█
per-account chroot												█
single-sign-on	╱			█	█				•
token auth	╱			█	█			█					█
2fa	╱		/	█	█							█	╱
per-volume permissions	█	█	█	█	█	█	█		█	█	╱	█	█
per-folder permissions	╱		█	█	█		█		█	█	╱	█	█
per-file permissions			█	█	█		█		█				█
per-file passwords	█			█	█		█		█			█	█
unmap subfolders	█		█				█			█	╱	•
index.html blocks list	╱						█			•
write-only folders	█		█		█						█	█
files stored as-is	█	█	█	█		█	█			█	█	█	█
file versioning				█	█
file encryption				█	█	█						█
file indexing	█		█	█	█			█	█	█
┗ per-volume db	█		•	•	•			•	•
┗ db stored in folder	█							•	•	█
┗ db stored out-of-tree	█		█	█	█			•	•	█
┗ existing file tree	█		█							█
file action event hooks	█									█		█	•
one-way folder sync	█			█	█	█
full sync				█	█
speed throttle		█	█			█			█			█
anti-bruteforce	█	█	█	█	█				•			█	•
dyndns updater		█	█
self-updater	╱		█										█
log rotation	█		█	█	█			•	█			█	•
upload tracking / log	█	█	•	█	█			█	█			╱	█
prometheus metrics	█			█								█
curl-friendly ls	█
curl-friendly upload	█		█			█	█	•

unmap subfolders = "shadowing"; mounting a local folder in the middle of an existing filesystem tree in order to disable access below that path
files stored as-is = uploaded files are trivially readable from the server HDD, not sliced into chunks or in weird folder structures or anything like that
db stored in folder = filesystem index can be written to a database file inside the folder itself
db stored out-of-tree = filesystem index can be stored some place else, not necessarily inside the shared folders
existing file tree = will index any existing files it finds
file action event hooks = run script before/after upload, move, rename, ...
one-way folder sync = like rsync, optionally deleting unexpected files at target
full sync = stateful, dropbox-like sync
speed throttle = rate limiting (per ip, per user, per connection, anything like that)
curl-friendly ls = returns a sortable plaintext folder listing when curled
curl-friendly upload = uploading with curl is just curl -T some.bin http://.../
C/copyparty remarks:
- single-sign-on, token-auth, and 2fa is possible through authelia/authentik or similar, but nobody's made an example yet
- one-way folder sync from local to server can be done efficiently with u2c.py, or with webdav and conventional rsync
- can hot-reload config files (with just a few exceptions)
- can set per-folder permissions if that folder is made into a separate volume, so there is configuration overhead
- index.html on its own does not prevent directory listing, but permission h (instead of r) enforces index.html to be returned instead of folder contents
- version-checker can check if the current version has a known vulnerability and immediately exit/shutdown, but automatic self-updating is not available
- event hooks (discord, desktop) inspired by filebrowser, as well as the more complex media parser alternative
- upload history can be visualized using partyjournal
fg/filegator remarks:
- per-* permissions -- can limit a user to one folder and its subfolders
- unmap subfolders -- can globally filter a list of paths
sg/sftpgo:
- file action event hooks also include on-download triggers
- upload tracking / log in main logfile
az/arozos:
- 2fa maybe possible through LDAP/Oauth
h3/hfs3
- 2fa available by installing a plugin

client features

feature / software	C	h2	h3	nc	sf	rc	df	cs	kb	fb	fg	sg	az
single-page app	█		█	█	█			█	█	█	█		█
themes	█	█	█	█					█
directory tree nav	█	╱			█				█		╱
multi-column sorting	█											█
thumbnails	█		/	╱	╱			█	█	╱			█
┗ image thumbnails	█		/	█	█			█	█	█			█
┗ video thumbnails	█			█	█				█				█
┗ audio spectrograms	█
audio player	█		╱	█	█				█	╱		╱	█
┗ gapless playback	█								•
┗ audio equalizer	█
┗ waveform seekbar	█
┗ OS integration	█		█
┗ transcode to lossy	█
video player	█		█	█	█				█	█		╱	█
┗ video transcoding			/						█
audio BPM detector	█
audio key detector	█
search by path / name	█	█	█	█	█		█		█	█	╱
search by date / size	█				█			█	█
search by bpm / key	█
search by custom tags								█	█
search in file contents				█	█				█
search by custom parser	█
find local file	█
undo recent uploads	█
create directories	█		█	█	█	╱	█	█	█	█	█	█	█
image viewer	█		█	█	█				█	█	█	█	█
markdown viewer	█		/		█				█	╱	╱		█
markdown editor	█				█				█	╱	╱	╱	█
readme.md in listing	█		/	█
rename files	█	█	█	█	█	╱	█		█	█	█	█	█
batch rename	█								█
cut / paste files	█	█	█	█	█				█				█
move files	█	█	█	█	█		█		█	█	█	█	█
delete files	█	█	█	█	█	╱	█	█	█	█	█	█	█
copy files			/		█				█	█	█	█	█

single-page app = multitasking; possible to continue navigating while uploading
audio player » os-integration = use the lockscreen or media hotkeys to play/pause, prev/next song
search by custom tags = ability to tag files through the UI and search by those
find local file = drop a file into the browser to see if it exists on the server
undo recent uploads = accounts without delete permissions have a time window where they can undo their own uploads
C/copyparty has teeny-tiny skips playing gapless albums depending on audio codec (opus best)
h2/hfs2 has a very basic directory tree view, not showing sibling folders
rc/rclone can do some file management (mkdir, rename, delete) when hosting througn webdav
fg/filebrowser remarks:
- audio playback does not continue into next song
- plaintext viewer/editor
fg/filegator directory tree is a modal window
sg/sftpgo remarks:
- audio/video playback does not continue into next song/video
- plaintext viewer/editor

integration

feature / software	C	nc	rc	df	cs	fb	sg
OS alert on upload	╱					╱	╱
discord	╱					╱	╱
┗ announce uploads	╱						╱
┗ custom embeds							╱
sharex	█	█	█	╱	█
flameshot			█

sharex ╱ = yes, but does not provide example sharex config
C/copyparty remarks:
- OS alert on upload available as a plugin
- discord » announce uploads available as a plugin
fg/filebrowser can probably pull those off with command runners similar to copyparty
sg/sftpgo has nothing built-in but is very extensible

another matrix

software / feature	lang	lic	size
copyparty	python	█ mit	0.6 MB
hfs2	delphi	░ gpl3	2 MB
hfs3	ts	░ gpl3	36 MB
nextcloud	php	‼ agpl	•
seafile	c	‼ agpl	•
rclone	c	█ mit	45 MB
dufs	rust	█ apl2	2.5 MB
chibisafe	ts	█ mit	•
kodbox	php	░ gpl3	92 MB
filebrowser	go	█ apl2	20 MB
filegator	php	█ mit	•
sftpgo	go	‼ agpl	44 MB
arozos	go	░ gpl3	531 MB
updog	python	█ mit	17 MB
goshs	go	█ mit	11 MB
gimme-that	python	█ mit	4.8 MB
ass	ts	█ isc	•
linx	go	░ gpl3	20 MB
h5ai	php	█ mit	•
autoindex	go	█ mpl2	11 MB
miniserve	rust	█ mit	2 MB
pingvin-share	go	█ bsd2	487 MB

size = binary (if available) or installed size of program and its dependencies
- copyparty size is for the standalone python file; the windows exe is 6 MiB

reviews

✅ are advantages over copyparty
- 💾 are what copyparty offers as an alternative
🔵 are similarities
⚠️ are disadvantages (something copyparty does "better")
🔥 are hazards

copyparty

resumable uploads which are verified server-side
upload segmenting allows for potentially much faster uploads on some connections, and terabyte-sized files even on cloudflare
- both of the above are surprisingly uncommon features
very cross-platform (python, no dependencies)

hfs2

the OG, the legend (now replaced by hfs3)
🔥 hfs2 is dead and dangerous! unfixed RCE: info, info, info
⚠️ uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on cloudflare: max upload size 100 MiB
⚠️ windows-only
✅ config GUI
vfs with gui config, per-volume permissions
starting to show its age, hence the rewrite:

hfs3

nodejs; cross-platform
vfs with gui config, per-volume permissions
tested locally, v0.53.2 on archlinux
🔵 uploads are resumable
⚠️ uploads are not accelerated (copyparty is 3x faster across the atlantic)
⚠️ uploads are not integrity-checked
⚠️ uploading small files is decent; 107 files per sec (copyparty does 670/sec, 6x faster)
⚠️ doesn't support crazy filenames
✅ config GUI
✅ download counter
✅ watch active connections
✅ plugins

nextcloud

php, mariadb
tested locally, linuxserver/nextcloud v30.0.2 (sqlite)
⚠️ [isolated on-disk file hierarchy] in per-user folders
- not that bad, can probably be remedied with bindmounts or maybe symlinks
⚠️ uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- 🔵 uploads are segmented; no filesize limit, even on cloudflare
⚠️ uploading small files is slow; 4 files per sec (copyparty does 670/sec, 160x faster)
⚠️ no write-only / upload-only folders
⚠️ http/webdav only; no ftp, zeroconf
⚠️ less awesome music player
⚠️ doesn't run on android or ipads
⚠️ AGPL licensed
✅ great ui/ux
✅ config gui
✅ apps (android / iphone)
- 💾 android upload-only app + iPhone upload shortcut
✅ more granular permissions (per-file)
✅ search: fulltext indexing of file contents
✅ webauthn passwordless authentication

seafile

c, mariadb
tested locally, official container v11.0.13
⚠️ isolated on-disk file hierarchy, incompatible with other software
- much worse than nextcloud in that regard
⚠️ uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on cloudflare: max upload size 100 MiB
⚠️ uploading small files is slow; 4.7 files per sec (copyparty does 670/sec, 140x faster)
⚠️ big folders cannot be zip-downloaded
⚠️ http/webdav only; no ftp, zeroconf
⚠️ less awesome music player
⚠️ doesn't run on android or ipads
⚠️ AGPL licensed
✅ great ui/ux
✅ config gui
✅ apps (android / iphone)
- 💾 android upload-only app + iPhone upload shortcut
✅ more granular permissions (per-file)
✅ search: fulltext indexing of file contents

rclone

nice standalone c program
⚠️ uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on cloudflare: max upload size 100 MiB
⚠️ no web-ui, just a server / downloader / uploader utility
✅ works with almost any protocol, cloud provider
- ⚠️ copyparty's webdav server is slightly faster

dufs

rust; cross-platform (windows, linux, macos)
tested locally, v0.43.0 on archlinux (plain binary)
⚠️ uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on cloudflare: max upload size 100 MiB
- ⚠️ across the atlantic, copyparty is 3x faster
⚠️ uploading small files is decent; 97 files per sec (copyparty does 670/sec, 7x faster)
⚠️ doesn't support crazy filenames
✅ per-url access control (copyparty is per-volume)
🔵 basic but really snappy ui
🔵 upload, rename, delete, ... see feature matrix

chibisafe

nodejs; recommends docker
🔵 it has upload segmenting!
- ⚠️ but uploads are still not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
⚠️ not portable
⚠️ isolated on-disk file hierarchy, incompatible with other software
⚠️ http/webdav only; no ftp or zeroconf
✅ pretty ui
✅ control panel for server settings and user management
✅ user registration
✅ searchable image tags; delete by tag
✅ browser extension to upload files to the server
✅ reject uploads by file extension
- 💾 can reject uploads by extension or mimetype using plugins
✅ token auth (api keys)

kodbox

this thing is insane (but is getting competition from arozos)
php; docker
🔵 upload segmenting, acceleration, and integrity checking!
- ⚠️ but uploads are not resumable(?)
⚠️ not portable
⚠️ isolated on-disk file hierarchy, incompatible with other software
⚠️ uploading small files to copyparty is 16x faster
⚠️ uploading large files to copyparty is 3x faster
⚠️ http/webdav only; no ftp or zeroconf
⚠️ some parts of the GUI are in chinese
✅ fantastic ui/ux
✅ control panel for server settings and user management
✅ file tags; file discussions!?
✅ video transcoding
✅ unzip uploaded archives
✅ IDE with syntax highlighting
✅ wysiwyg editor for openoffice files

filebrowser

go; cross-platform (windows, linux, mac)
tested locally, v2.31.2 on archlinux (plain binary)
🔵 uploads are resumable and segmented
🔵 multiple files are uploaded in parallel, but...
- ⚠️ big files are not accelerated (copyparty is 5x faster across the atlantic)
⚠️ uploads are not integrity-checked
⚠️ uploading small files is decent; 69 files per sec (copyparty does 670/sec, 9x faster)
⚠️ http only; no webdav / ftp / zeroconf
⚠️ doesn't support crazy filenames
⚠️ no directory tree nav
⚠️ limited file search
✅ settings gui
✅ good ui/ux
- ⚠️ but no directory tree for navigation
✅ user signup
✅ command runner / remote shell
✅ more efficient; can handle around twice as much simultaneous traffic
note: keep an eye on gtsteffaniak's fork

filegator

php; cross-platform (windows, linux, mac)
🔵 it has upload segmenting and acceleration
- ⚠️ but uploads are still not integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on copyparty, uploads are 40x faster
  - compared to the official filegator docker example which might be bad
⚠️ http only; no webdav / ftp / zeroconf
⚠️ does not support symlinks
⚠️ expensive download-as-zip feature
⚠️ doesn't support crazy filenames
⚠️ limited file search

sftpgo

go; cross-platform (windows, linux, mac)
⚠️ http uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on cloudflare: max upload size 100 MiB
- ⚠️ across the atlantic, copyparty is 2.5x faster
- 🔵 sftp uploads are resumable
⚠️ web UI is very minimal + a bit slow
- ⚠️ no thumbnails
⚠️ no filesystem indexing / search
⚠️ no zeroconf (mdns/ssdp)
⚠️ impractical directory URLs
⚠️ AGPL licensed
🔵 uploading small files is fast; 340 files per sec (copyparty does 670/sec)
🔵 sftp, ftp, ftps, webdav
✅ settings gui
✅ acme (automatic tls certs)
- 💾 relies on caddy/certbot/acme.sh
✅ at-rest encryption
- 💾 relies on LUKS/BitLocker
✅ can use S3/GCS as storage backend
- 💾 relies on rclone-mount
✅ on-download event hook (otherwise same as copyparty)
✅ more extensive permissions control

arozos

big suite of applications similar to kodbox, copyparty is better at downloading/uploading/music/indexing but arozos has other advantages
go; primarily linux (limited support for windows)
⚠️ needs root
⚠️ uploads not resumable / integrity-checked
⚠️ uploading small files to copyparty is 2.7x faster
⚠️ uploading large files to copyparty is at least 10% faster
- arozos is websocket-based, 512 KiB chunks; writes each chunk to separate files and then merges
- copyparty splices directly into the final file; faster and better for the HDD and filesystem
⚠️ across the atlantic, uploading to copyparty is 6x faster
⚠️ no directory tree navpane; not as easy to navigate
⚠️ download-as-zip is not streaming; creates a temp.file on the server
⚠️ not self-contained (pulls from jsdelivr)
⚠️ has an audio player, but supports less filetypes
⚠️ limited support for configuring real-ip detection
✅ settings gui
✅ good-looking gui
✅ an IDE, msoffice viewer, rich host integration, much more

updog

python; cross-platform
basic directory listing with upload feature
⚠️ less portable
⚠️ uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on cloudflare: max upload size 100 MiB
⚠️ no vfs; single folder, single account

goshs

go; cross-platform (windows, linux, mac)
⚠️ no vfs; single folder, single account
⚠️ uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on cloudflare: max upload size 100 MiB
✅ cool clipboard widget
- 💾 the markdown editor is an ok substitute
🔵 read-only and upload-only modes (same as copyparty's write-only)
🔵 https, webdav, but no ftp

gimme-that

python, but with c dependencies
⚠️ no vfs; single folder, multiple accounts
⚠️ uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on cloudflare: max upload size 100 MiB
⚠️ weird folder structure for uploads
✅ clamav antivirus check on upload! neat
🔵 optional max-filesize, os-notification on uploads
- 💾 os-notification available as a plugin

ass

nodejs; recommends docker
⚠️ not portable
⚠️ upload only; no browser
⚠️ upload through sharex only; no web-ui
⚠️ uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on cloudflare: max upload size 100 MiB
✅ token auth
✅ gps metadata stripping
- 💾 possible with a plugin
✅ discord integration (custom embeds, upload webhook)
- 💾 upload webhook plugin
✅ reject uploads by mimetype
- 💾 can reject uploads by extension or mimetype using plugins
✅ can use S3 as storage backend
- 💾 relies on rclone-mount
✅ custom 404 pages

linx

originally andreimarcu/linx-server but development has ended
⚠️ uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on cloudflare: max upload size 100 MiB
🔵 some of its unique features have been added to copyparty as former linx users have migrated
- file expiration timers, filename randomization
✅ password-protected files
- 💾 password-protected folders + filekeys to skip the folder password seem to cover most usecases
✅ file deletion keys
✅ download files as torrents
✅ remote uploads (send a link to the server and it downloads it)
- 💾 available as a plugin
✅ can use S3 as storage backend
- 💾 relies on rclone-mount

h5ai

⚠️ read only; no upload/move/delete
⚠️ search hits the filesystem directly; not indexed/cached
✅ slick ui
✅ in-browser qr generator to share URLs
🔵 directory tree, image viewer, thumbnails, download-as-tar

autoindex

⚠️ read only; no upload/move/delete
✅ directory cache for faster browsing of cloud storage
- 💾 local index/cache for recursive search (names/attrs/tags), but not for browsing

miniserve

rust; cross-platform (windows, linux, mac)
⚠️ uploads not resumable / accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ on cloudflare: max upload size 100 MiB
⚠️ no thumbnails / image viewer / audio player / file manager
⚠️ no filesystem indexing / search
🔵 upload, tar/zip download, qr-code
✅ faster at loading huge folders

node; linux (docker)
mainly for uploads, not a general file server
🔵 uploads are segmented (avoids cloudflare size limit)
🔵 segments are written directly to target file (HDD-friendly)
⚠️ uploads not resumable after a browser or laptop crash
⚠️ uploads are not accelerated / integrity-checked
- ⚠️ across the atlantic, copyparty is 3x faster
  - measured with chunksize 96 MiB; pingvin's default 10 MiB is much slower
⚠️ can't upload folders with subfolders
⚠️ no upload ETA
🔵 expiration times, shares, upload-undo
✅ config + user-registration gui
✅ built-in OpenID and LDAP support
- 💾 IdP middleware and config-files
✅ probably more than one person who understands the code

briefly considered

pydio: go/agpl3, looks great, fantastic ux -- but needs mariadb, systemwide install, SSO is 3280€/year
gossa: go/mit, minimalistic, basic file upload, text editor, mkdir and rename (no delete/move)

notes

high-latency connections (cross-atlantic uploads) can be accurately simulated with tc qdisc add dev eth0 root netem delay 100ms