🚀 FileDrop - Peer-to-Peer File Sharing

FileDrop is a high-performance peer-to-peer file transfer platform built using WebRTC, Next.js and TypeScript. It enables secure browser-to-browser file sharing without uploading files to any server.

No uploads. No cloud storage. No middleman. Just pure P2P transfer.

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🌐 Live Demo

Frontend

https://file-drop-inky.vercel.app/

Backend

https://filedrop-production-b0ac.up.railway.app

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✨ Features

• 🔗 Direct Peer-to-Peer File Transfer (WebRTC Data Channels)
• 📦 Chunked File Streaming (64 KB chunks)
• ⚡ Zero Server-Side File Storage
• 🧠 BufferedAmount Backpressure Handling
• 📊 Real-Time Upload & Download Progress Tracking
• 🧾 Room-Based Connection System
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Secure Two-Peer Sessions
• ❌ Transfer Abort & Error Handling
• 📥 Native File Save Support
• 🚀 Fully Deployed & Production Ready
• 🌐 Browser-to-Browser Secure File Sharing

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🏗️ Project Architecture

                     +----------------------+
                     |      Frontend        |
                     |      Next.js         |
                     |   (Hosted on Vercel) |
                     +----------+-----------+
                                |
                                |
                                v

                     +----------------------+
                     |   Signalling Server  |
                     |   Node.js + WS       |
                     | (Hosted on Railway)  |
                     +----------+-----------+
                                |
                        SDP Exchange Only
                                |
                                v

                     +----------------------+
                     |      WebRTC P2P      |
                     | Browser <--------> Browser
                     +----------------------+
                                |
                                v

                     Direct File Transfer
                    (No Files Stored Anywhere)

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⚙️ How It Works

1. User creates a room (random 10-character room ID).
2. Another user joins using the same room ID.
3. The signalling server exchanges SDP offers and answers.
4. WebRTC establishes a direct peer connection.
5. Files are split into 64 KB chunks.
6. Chunks are streamed over WebRTC Data Channels.
7. Receiver writes files directly to disk.

The signalling server is ONLY used to establish the connection. No file ever passes through the server.

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🏗️ Tech Stack

Frontend

• Next.js (App Router)
• TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS
• Framer Motion

Backend

• Node.js
• Express.js
• WebSocket (ws)

Core Technologies

• WebRTC
• RTCPeerConnection
• RTCDataChannel
• Streams API
• StreamSaver.js

Deployment

• Vercel
• Railway

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📸 Screenshots

Home Page

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Waiting For Peer

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Connected Session

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Incoming File Request

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File Transfer Progress

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📁 Project Structure

FileDrop
│
├── client
│   ├── app
│   ├── components
│   │
│   ├── hooks
│   │   ├── useWebRTC.ts
│   │   └── useFileTransfer.ts
│   │
│   └── public
│
├── Server
│   └── server.ts
│
└── screenshots

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🚀 Getting Started

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/girish-xd/FileDrop.git

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Setup Backend

cd Server
npm install
npm run dev

Server runs on:

http://localhost:1908

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Setup Frontend

cd client
npm install
npm run dev

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🔐 Environment Variables

Create a .env.local file inside the client directory.

NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:1908

For production deployment:

NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL=https://filedrop-production-b0ac.up.railway.app

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🧪 How To Use

1. Open FileDrop on two devices.
2. Click Create Room.
3. Share the room ID.
4. Join the room from the second device.
5. Select or drag & drop any file.
6. Accept the transfer request.
7. Download completed. ✅

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⚠️ Limitations

• Supports only two peers per room.
• WebRTC connectivity depends on network conditions.
• Extremely large file transfers depend on bandwidth and browser limitations.

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💡 Future Improvements

• Multi-peer file sharing.
• Resume interrupted transfers.
• End-to-end encryption layer.
• File previews.
• Mobile-first optimizations.
• QR-based room sharing.

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⭐ Support

If you liked the project, consider giving it a star.

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Built after sacrificing sleep, sanity and several thousand AI tokens.🫩

by Girish Jain🩷