Hey,
I was wondering what folks use to quickly send a file or a link between your PC and android phone in a lightweight and self hosted way.
Currently I use syncthing to copy files around, but I’m looking for something more immediate, and quick than doesn’t involve searching for folders in a file manager.
Example use case: Send a file from PC to phone. Notification pops up on phone, tap it to access.
(PC runs OpenBSD)
What lightweight software do you guys use?
Stuff I tried so far:
- syncthing
- xmpp
- tox
- scp and termux.
- magic wormhole
- telegram saved messages
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A cable
Edit: Also
python -m http.serverSyncthing or https://pairdrop.net/
I usually use kde connect.
Yeah, me too. It is quick and easy. I use SyncThing for things I want to keep synced.
KDE Connect also works on Gnome, Windows and Android. I can’t recommend it enough. Transfering a single image from phone to PC is instantaneous
And having a unified clippboard is just so convenient
I’m not sure if there’s one the best tool, depending on a case, I use mix of
- scp
- localsend
- croc
- https://github.com/dutchcoders/transfer.sh
- https://github.com/stonith404/pingvin-share
- pbcli (pastebin)
- I also have a script that sends me mail with files attached
SFTP or Matrix
I love localsend.
Works on Linux, Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac. It is basically an OS agnostic Airdrop.
It’s FOSS, so you can go to the Github and build from source for OpenBSD, but I have no idea if that would work.
Dart (the language it’s written in) doesn’t work on BSD, so sadly that’s out of the question for now.
Dang, that’s too bad. Hopefully one day!
Here are a bunch of local services I’ve used at one point or another from phone to PC or PC to PC. Not sure if any links are out of date.
KDE Connect
Wormhole (Closed Source)
- Site: https://wormhole.app/
LocalSend
- Site: https://localsend.org/
- Source: https://github.com/localsend/localsend
SnapDrop
- Site: https://snapdrop.net/
- Source: https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop
ShareDrop
- Site: https://www.sharedrop.io/
- Source: https://github.com/szimek/sharedrop
FilePizza
- Site: https://file.pizza/
- Source: https://github.com/kern/filepizza
Original Wormhole
- Site: https://webwormhole.io/
- Source: https://github.com/saljam/webwormhole
PeerTransfer
JustBeamIt
- Site: https://justbeamit.com/
- Source: https://github.com/justbeamit/beam
Send Visee
- Website: https://send.vis.ee/
- Source: https://github.com/timvisee/send
- List of instances at: https://github.com/timvisee/send-instances
+1 for LocalSend. Well worth checking out.
Another +1 for it here. Use it multiple times a day between Linux, MacOS, android, and iOS.
+1 KDE Connect. File transfer works great on Android, Linux, and even on Windows 10/11! Clipboard sync is also a game changer; super easy to copy and paste across devices.
+1 Love LocalSend!
PairDrop is a fork of SnapDrop, which at one point had more features and active development. Don’t know, how it is nowadays though.
Syncthing is fast. I have an IPv6 setup too which seems to help.
I have my downloads directory on my desktop linked to a downloads directory on my Android; you can’t link to the real Android downloads directory anymore so I use another.
When the file is removed from the desktop downloads directory it disappears from mobile.
I tried using Bluetooth between them but it’s more fiddly than Syncthing with my config. Switch Bluetooth on on desktop, connect to desktop, send file, disconnect, move file. Whereas Syncthing is always on.
However, before I started using Obsidian notes I used to transfer URLs using Signal’s Note-to-self thing. Signal on both desktop and mobile.
Obviously, I sync between mobile and desktop Obsidian using Syncthing.
Kdeconnect. Alternatively NextCloud or sending an email to myself.
open source, can be self hosted or you can use the official instance.
Personally I have been using KDE connect most of the time when I am at home.
Pairdrop I use more when sharing with other people across the internet.
Never heard of that tool. Thank you for sharing it!
pairdrop
I like this a lot.
A question. Docs say:
Your files are sent using WebRTC, encrypting them in transit. Still you have to trust the PairDrop server. To ensure the connection is secure and there is no MITM there is a plan to make PairDrop zero trust by encrypting the signaling and implementing a verification process. See issue #180 to keep updated.
Does this mean if you self-host on your LAN for personal use without https, then nothing is encrypted, or does WebRTC negotiate its own crypto?
Sounds like WebRTC crypto is mandatory.
Localsend works great for me.
Yeah, can recommend that one too Although it sometimes seems to have some performance problems with a large amount of files - could be, that it’s already fixed though
Yeah for large folders and stuff probably better to use SFTP or WebDAV
Kde connect is also a option
A bit heavy for my taste.
What is heavy about that? Is it more complex on BSD or something?
Installing KDE will pull in hundreds of packages.
There should be clients for other DEs. I know there’s a Gnome specific one and I think there’s an independent one as well.
Does your PC have Bluetooth? Definitely quick and sort of self hosted.
As I have basically all devices connected to my Nextcloud instance, I simply use that. I don’t have any “time-critical” file transfers though.
Well my transfers aren’t “time critical” either, but life feels easier if I don’t have to jump through hoops to solve a task that involves copy files around.
Re: next cloud, looking for something more lightweight than that.
I use QuickDAV and OwlFiles.
