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Overview

copyparty is a multi-protocol file server supporting HTTP(S), WebDAV, FTP/FTPS, SFTP, TFTP, and SMB/CIFS. Each protocol serves different use cases and client compatibility needs.

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HTTP/HTTPS

The primary protocol for web browser access and the REST API.

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Basic Configuration

# Listen on default port 3923
copyparty

# Listen on custom port
copyparty -p 8080

# Listen on multiple ports
copyparty -p 80,443

# IPv4 only
copyparty -i 0.0.0.0

# Specific interface
copyparty -i 192.168.1.100

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HTTPS/TLS

# Enable HTTPS with certificate
copyparty -p 443 --https-cert /path/to/cert.pem --https-key /path/to/key.pem

# Accept both HTTP and HTTPS
copyparty -p 80,443 --https-cert cert.pem --https-key key.pem
For production deployments, consider using a reverse proxy (nginx, Caddy) to handle HTTPS and obtain certificates automatically via Let’s Encrypt.

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WebDAV

Mount copyparty as a network drive in your file explorer.

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Features

  • Read/write support
  • Compatible with Windows XP+, macOS, Linux (Nautilus/GVFS)
  • Works with mobile WebDAV clients

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Connecting from Different OSs

GUI Method:
  1. Right-click “My Computer” → “Map network drive”
  2. Folder: http://192.168.1.100:3923/
  3. Username: your password (password field can be empty)
Command Line:
net use Z: http://192.168.1.100:3923/ /user:password
Windows has several WebDAV bugs:
  • Doesn’t send password on reauthentication (workaround: put password in username field)
  • Can’t access folders with forbidden characters (<>:"/\|?*) or ending with .
  • May open new TCP connection per file and forget to close them

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WebDAV Configuration

[global]
  # Force auth for all WebDAV requests (fixes Windows anonymous-read bug)
  dav-auth
  
  # Separate port for WebDAV with different write semantics
  dav-port: 3924
  
  # Allow editing existing files (needed by some clients)
  daw
Enabling daw makes all PUT uploads overwrite existing files if the user has delete access. Use with caution or configure dav-port instead.

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FTP/FTPS

FTP server for legacy clients and high-speed transfers.

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Configuration

# FTP on port 3921
copyparty --ftp 3921

# FTPS (explicit TLS) on port 3990
copyparty --ftps 3990

# Both FTP and FTPS
copyparty --ftp 3921 --ftps 3990

# Passive mode port range (required for firewalls)
copyparty --ftp 3921 --ftp-pr 12000-12099

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Config File Example

[global]
  ftp: 3921
  ftps: 3990
  ftp-pr: 12000-12099  # passive mode port range

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Firewall Rules

# Open FTP ports
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3921/tcp
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3990/tcp
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=12000-12099/tcp
firewall-cmd --reload

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Authentication

  • Login with any username + your password
  • Or put password in username field (password can be empty)
  • Unless --usernames is enabled (then both required)

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Performance Notes

  • Faster than WebDAV in many cases
  • No resumable uploads (delete and restart if needed)
  • Active mode by default (use --ftp-pr for passive mode)

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SFTP (SSH File Transfer)

SSH-based file transfer, more secure than FTP.
This is not FTPS (FTP-TLS). SFTP uses SSH protocol and SSH keys for authentication.

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Requirements

# Install paramiko dependency
pip install paramiko

# Or use Docker image: ac, im, iv, or dj variants

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Configuration

# Enable SFTP on port 3922
copyparty --sftp 3922

# Allow password authentication
copyparty --sftp 3922 --sftp-pw

# Add SSH key for user
copyparty --sftp 3922 --sftp-key 'david ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC...'

# Anonymous access (no password)
copyparty --sftp 3922 --sftp-anon guest

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Config File Example

[global]
  sftp: 3922
  sftp-pw  # enable password login
  sftp-key: david ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIAbcd...
  sftp-key: alice ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAACAQC...

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Performance

  • Roughly 700 MiB/s throughput
  • Slower than WebDAV and FTP
  • Better security with key-based auth

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TFTP (Trivial FTP)

Ultra-simple protocol for hardware and embedded devices. 
# Enable TFTP on port 3969
copyparty --tftp 3969

# Use standard port 69 (requires root or capabilities)
sudo copyparty --tftp 69

# Or use NAT redirection
iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -i eth0 -p udp --dport 69 -j REDIRECT --to-port 3969

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Features & Limitations

  • ✅ Read and write support
  • ✅ Binary/octet transfer mode
  • ❌ No authentication (uses filesystem permissions)
  • ❌ No RFC 7440 (very slow over WAN)
  • ❌ No netascii mode

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Expected Speeds

  • 100BASE-T: ~1100 KiB/s
  • WiFi (good): ~400-500 KiB/s
  • WiFi (bad): ~200 KiB/s

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Usage Examples

# curl (read)
curl --tftp-blksize 1428 tftp://192.168.1.100:3969/firmware.bin -o firmware.bin

# curl (write)
curl --tftp-blksize 1428 -T firmware.bin tftp://192.168.1.100:3969/

# atftp (Linux)
atftp --option "blksize 1428" 192.168.1.100 3969 -p -l firmware.bin -r firmware.bin

# Windows built-in client
tftp -i 192.168.1.100 put firmware.bin
TFTP is perfect for updating firmware on routers, switches, IP phones, and other network hardware from the 90s.

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SMB/CIFS (Windows File Sharing)

Windows network file sharing protocol.
SMB support is:
  • Not fully integrated with VFS (potential security issues)
  • Slow (5x slower than WebDAV, 30x slower than rclone-webdav)
  • Not recommended for WAN use
  • Not compatible with password hashing or --usernames
Use with --smb-port and prisonparty for security.

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Requirements

pip install "impacket==0.13.0"

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Configuration

# Read-only SMB
copyparty --smb

# Read-write SMB  
copyparty --smbw

# Non-privileged port (recommended)
copyparty --smb --smb-port 3945

# Then use NAT on Linux
iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -i eth0 -p tcp --dport 445 -j REDIRECT --to-port 3945

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Known Issues

  • Only shows first ~400 files in large folders
  • Login doesn’t work on Windows XP
  • Windows 10+ doesn’t allow anonymous connections
  • Slow compared to WebDAV
  • Python 3 only

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Authentication

  • Username: $password, Password: k
  • Or Username: $username, Password: $password

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Protocol Comparison

ProtocolSpeedSecurityCompatibilityResumableAuth
HTTP⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐✅✅
WebDAV⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❌✅
FTP⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❌✅
FTPS⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❌✅
SFTP⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❌✅
TFTP⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❌❌
SMB⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❌⭐

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Multi-Protocol Example

Enable all protocols with proper configuration: 
[global]
  # HTTP/HTTPS
  port: 3923,443
  https-cert: /etc/copyparty/cert.pem
  https-key: /etc/copyparty/key.pem
  
  # WebDAV
  dav-auth
  
  # FTP/FTPS
  ftp: 3921
  ftps: 3990  
  ftp-pr: 12000-12099
  
  # SFTP
  sftp: 3922
  sftp-pw
  
  # TFTP
  tftp: 3969
  
  # Zeroconf announcement
  z  # announce all services on LAN
Use -z to announce all enabled services via mDNS and SSDP, making them automatically discoverable on your LAN.

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