Skip to main content

​
Overview

copyparty makes it easy to share files with others, whether for simple downloads or collaborative uploads. This guide covers setting up basic file sharing with customizable permissions.

​
Quick Start

The simplest file sharing server shares your current directory with everyone: 
python copyparty-sfx.py
This gives everyone read/write access to the current folder at http://your-ip:3923/.

​
Basic File Sharing Scenarios

1
Share a folder (read-only)
2
Make a folder available for download without allowing uploads:
3
python copyparty-sfx.py -v /mnt/share:/files:r
4
  • /mnt/share - Local folder on your server
  • /files - URL path (access at http://your-ip:3923/files)
  • r - Read-only permission for everyone
    • 5
    Share with password protection
    6
    Create a user account and restrict access:
    7
    python copyparty-sfx.py -a alice:secret123 -v /mnt/share:/files:r,alice
    8
  • -a alice:secret123 - Creates user alice with password secret123
  • r,alice - Only user alice can read/download
    • 9
    Allow uploads from anyone
    10
    Let anyone upload files to a folder:
    11
    python copyparty-sfx.py -v /mnt/uploads:/drop:w
    12
  • w - Write-only permission (upload but cannot see files)
  • Users can upload but cannot browse or download
    • 13
    Mixed permissions
    14
    Combine different access levels for different users:
    15
    python copyparty-sfx.py -a bob:pass1 -a carol:pass2 \
  -v /mnt/files:/files:r:rw,bob:A,carol
    16
  • Everyone can read (first r)
  • User bob can read and write (rw,bob)
  • User carol has full admin access (A,carol)

    • ​
    Configuration File Approach

    For complex setups, use a configuration file instead of command-line arguments: 
    [accounts]
  bob: pass1
  carol: pass2

[/files]
  /mnt/files
  accs:
    r: *       # everyone can read
    rw: bob    # bob can read-write
    A: carol   # carol has admin access

[/drop]
  /mnt/uploads
  accs:
    w: *       # anyone can upload
    rw: carol  # carol can manage uploads

    ​
    Enabling File Indexing

    For better performance and features like duplicate detection: 
    python copyparty-sfx.py -e2dsa -v /mnt/share:/files:r
    • -e2dsa - Scan and index all files on startup
    • Enables search, prevents duplicate uploads
    • Creates .hist/up2k.db database in each volume
    You can include passwords directly in URLs: 
    http://your-server:3923/files?pw=secret123
    If --usernames is enabled, use username:password: 
    http://your-server:3923/files?pw=alice:secret123

    ​
    Creating Temporary Shares

    Enable the shares feature to let users create temporary links: 
    python copyparty-sfx.py --shr /share -a alice:pass -v /mnt/files::rw,alice
    Users can then:
    1. Navigate to a file or folder
    2. Click the “share” button (bottom-right)
    3. Set expiration time and optional password
    4. Share the generated link
    Shares appear at http://your-server:3923/share/...

    ​
    Making It Accessible Online

    Quick way to make your server accessible over the internet:
    # Install cloudflared, then:
cloudflared tunnel --url http://127.0.0.1:3923
    Add to copyparty:
    python copyparty-sfx.py --xff-hdr cf-connecting-ip -v /mnt/share:/files:r

    ​
    Permission Reference

    PermissionDescription
    rRead: browse folders, download files
    wWrite: upload files
    mMove: move files FROM this folder
    dDelete: delete files/folders
    gGet: download files only (no browsing)
    GUpget: like g but uploaders see their filekeys
    aAdmin: see upload times, IPs, reload config
    AAll: shortcut for rwmda

    ​
    Tips and Best Practices

    Don’t give d (delete) permission unless necessary. Use rw instead of A for regular users.
    Add the admin permission to see who uploaded what:
    python copyparty-sfx.py -a admin:secret -v /mnt/files::r:A,admin
    Restrict file sizes and total volume:
    [/uploads]
  /mnt/uploads
  accs:
    w: *
  flags:
    sz: 1k-100m    # files between 1KB and 100MB
    vmaxb: 10g     # total volume max 10GB
    df: 5g         # keep 5GB free disk space
    Let users delete their own uploads within a time window:
    python copyparty-sfx.py -e2d --unpost 43200 -v /mnt/uploads::w
    Users can undo uploads within 12 hours (43200 seconds).

    ​
    Next Steps

    Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

    Get started for freeTalk to us