copyparty/docs/versus.md

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

toc

• top
• recommendations
• feature comparisons
  • general
  • file transfer
  • protocols and client support
  • server configuration
  • server capabilities
  • client features
  • integration
  • another matrix
• reviews
  • copyparty
  • hfs2 🔥
  • hfs3
  • nextcloud
  • seafile
  • rclone
  • dufs
  • chibisafe
  • kodbox
  • filebrowser
  • filegator
  • sftpgo
  • arozos
  • updog
  • goshs
  • gimme-that
  • ass
  • linx
  • h5ai
  • autoindex
  • miniserve
  • pingvin-share
• briefly considered
• notes

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,

• a = copyparty
• b = hfs2 🔥
• c = hfs3
• d = nextcloud
• e = seafile
• f = rclone, specifically rclone serve webdav .
• g = dufs
• h = chibisafe
• i = kodbox
• j = filebrowser
• k = filegator
• l = sftpgo
• m = 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	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j	k	l	m
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	█			█	█	█		•		█
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
• a/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
• b/hfs2 runs on linux through wine
• f/rclone must be started with the command rclone serve webdav . or similar
• h/chibisafe has undocumented windows support
• i/sftpgo must be launched with a command
• m/arozos has partial windows support

file transfer

the thing that copyparty is actually kinda good at

feature / software	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j	k	l	m
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

• a/copyparty can reject uploaded files (based on complex conditions), for example by extension or mimetype

• e/seafile download-as-zip is not streaming; it creates the full zipfile before download can start, and fails on big folders

• j/filebrowser remarks:

  • can provide checksums for single files on request
  • can probably do extension/mimetype rejection similar to copyparty

• k/filegator download-as-zip is not streaming; it creates the full zipfile before download can start

• l/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

• m/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	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j	k	l	m
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
• a/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)
• l/sftpgo translates mojibake filenames into valid utf-8 (information loss)
• m/arozos has readonly-support for older browsers; no uploading

server configuration

feature / software	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j	k	l	m
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
• l/sftpgo:
  • config: users must be added through gui / api calls
• m/arozos:
  • configuration is primarily through GUI
  • reverse-proxy is not guaranteed to see the correct client IP

server capabilities

feature / software	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j	k	l	m
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://.../
• a/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
  • event hooks (discord, desktop) inspired by filebrowser, as well as the more complex media parser alternative
  • upload history can be visualized using partyjournal
• k/filegator remarks:
  • per-* permissions -- can limit a user to one folder and its subfolders
  • unmap subfolders -- can globally filter a list of paths
• l/sftpgo:
  • file action event hooks also include on-download triggers
  • upload tracking / log in main logfile
• m/arozos:
  • 2fa maybe possible through LDAP/Oauth
• c/hfs3
  • 2fa available by installing a plugin

client features

feature / software	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j	k	l	m
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
• a/copyparty has teeny-tiny skips playing gapless albums depending on audio codec (opus best)
• b/hfs2 has a very basic directory tree view, not showing sibling folders
• f/rclone can do some file management (mkdir, rename, delete) when hosting througn webdav
• j/filebrowser remarks:
  • audio playback does not continue into next song
  • plaintext viewer/editor
• k/filegator directory tree is a modal window

integration

feature / software	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j	k	l	m
OS alert on upload	╱									╱		╱
discord	╱									╱		╱
┗ announce uploads	╱											╱
┗ custom embeds												╱
sharex	█			█		█	╱	█
flameshot						█

• sharex ╱ = yes, but does not provide example sharex config
• a/copyparty remarks:
  • OS alert on upload available as a plugin
  • discord » announce uploads available as a plugin
• j/filebrowser can probably pull those off with command runners similar to copyparty
• l/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 / image viewer / audio player
  • ⚠️ basic file manager (no cut/paste/move)
• ⚠️ no filesystem indexing / search
• ⚠️ doesn't run on phones, tablets
• ⚠️ no zeroconf (mdns/ssdp)
• ⚠️ impractical directory URLs
• ⚠️ AGPL licensed
• 🔵 uploading small files is fast; 340 files per sec (copyparty does 670/sec)
• 🔵 ftp, ftps, webdav
• ✅ sftp server
• ✅ 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
• ✅ sftp server
• ✅ 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

pingvin-share

• 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: python/agpl3, looks great, fantastic ux -- but needs mariadb, systemwide install
• 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