PairDrop

PairDrop moves files between devices with no account, no app install and no cloud upload in between. Open the page on two devices on the same local network, and they see each other; pick a file and it transfers peer to peer. A fork of Snapdrop inspired by AirDrop, it works wherever a modern browser does.

Transfers run over WebRTC with a Node.js backend handling signaling. The frontend is vanilla HTML, JavaScript and CSS delivered as a progressive web app, IndexedDB handles storage, and zip.js packs multiple files into a single archive on the way down.

Several capabilities go beyond what the project it forked from offered.

• Device pairing: pair with a 6-digit code or a QR code, and paired devices keep finding each other afterward.
• Public rooms: a 5-letter code opens a temporary room for devices outside your local network.
• NAT traversal: devices behind a NAT connect automatically through the PairDrop TURN server.
• Share menu integration: send from the context menu on Windows and Ubuntu, the share sheet on iOS and Android, or the command line.
• Transfer handling: files arrive after a request is accepted, download automatically where possible, and arrive as one ZIP when there are several.

Smaller touches address the ways this kind of tool usually irritates people. Devices get editable display names, sleep is prevented mid-transfer, and a warning appears before closing during a send.

Use the public instance, or host your own with Docker or Node.js, even on a Raspberry Pi, setting your own STUN and TURN servers.