PsiTransfer

A small Node.js server for sending large files through expiring download links, a self-hosted stand-in for WeTransfer without user accounts.

2k stars, 248 forks JavaScript On GitHub since April 2017

View on GitHub How to run it

PsiTransfer at a glance

Open sourceYes, BSD-2-ClauseNo paid parts in the repository
Health53 of 100Actively developed
Self-hostingDockerOne-click in YunoHost, Unraid and 1 more
Interface14 languagesIncluding English, German and French
Issue repliesWithin ~11 hoursMedian first reply; 40% of recent issues answered

What is PsiTransfer?

PsiTransfer lets anyone drop files into an upload bucket in the browser and share the resulting link. Nobody needs an account. Uploads and downloads stream through the tus.io protocol, so very large files can resume after an interruption. Each bucket gets an expiry time, can be limited to a single download, and can be protected with a password that encrypts the download list with AES. Recipients can preview files in a modal or fetch everything as a zip or tar.gz archive. The Vue frontend is under 100 KB gzipped, and an optional /admin page lists existing buckets.

Good fit if

  • You regularly send big video, design or backup files and want to stop paying a transfer service.
  • You want recipients to download without registering anywhere.
  • You like a lightweight install you can restyle by editing two Pug templates.

Look elsewhere if

  • You need client accounts, permissions and download history: ProjectSend.
  • You want uploads restricted to an admin, with S3 storage: Gokapi.
  • You prefer pushing files from a terminal with curl: transfer.sh.

Before you adopt it

PsiTransfer uses the BSD-2-Clause license, a permissive BSD license, and the repository has no paid parts. A single developer maintains it; every commit in the last 90 days came from one author. Docker images are tagged by version, and it also runs directly on Node.js. By default anyone who reaches the server can upload, so set the PSITRANSFER_UPLOAD_PASS variable before exposing it to the internet. Payloads are not end-to-end encrypted, and the zip download cannot resume. PsiTransfer's interface ships in 14 languages.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 7 November 2026. Report a correction

How to run PsiTransfer yourself

One-click install

Not listed in Umbrel, TrueNAS, Runtipi, Proxmox VE Helper-Scripts and Coolify. Checked against each panel’s app catalog on 12 November 2026.

Ways to install

Docker files
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Docker image
ghcr.io/psi-4ward/psitransfer: x86-64, ARM64
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
14 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Turkish and Japanese
Show all 14

Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

Install instructions: the README on GitHub. Docker images and packages are checked weekly.

PsiTransfer health: is it still maintained?

53 of 100, actively developed

Release rhythmEvery ~58 days8 releases in 12 months; latest v2.4.6
Issue repliesWithin ~11 hoursMedian first reply; 40% of recent issues answered
Bus factorHigh riskOne person wrote all recent commits
  • Activity
    13 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 10 November 2026.
    14 / 30
  • Contributors
    1 person wrote the 13 commits of the last 90 days; the most active wrote 100% of them.
    2 / 20
  • Releases
    8 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v2.4.6, on 10 November 2026.
    17 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 40% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 11 hours.
    15 / 20
  • Security practices
    No OpenSSF Scorecard for this repository yet, so this part gets a neutral score.
    5 / 10

Read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. How the score works

PsiTransfer security

Security advisories are the vulnerabilities the maintainers disclosed on GitHub, with the versions that fix them; many advisories can mean careful disclosure as much as weak code.

Security advisories4 published2 high; 3 list a fixed version

Latest advisories

All 4 advisories on GitHub

Advisories read from GitHub on 12 November 2026.

PsiTransfer license: is it open source?

PsiTransfer uses BSD-2-Clause, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. April 2017First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayBSD-2-Clause.

PsiTransfer for developers

Written in

  • JavaScript 77%
  • Vue 18%
  • Pug 2%
  • Shell 2%
  • Dockerfile <1%

Getting involved

Help wanted1Open, labelled “help wanted”
Contributing guideNot foundNo CONTRIBUTING file in the repository
Open issues72On GitHub
Authors, 90 days1Of 13 commits

Language shares are GitHub’s count of the code in the repository.

Alternatives to PsiTransfer

  • ZiplineA ShareX/file upload server that is easy to use, packed with features, and with an easy setup! 78 health · MIT · 3.5k stars
  • OnionShareSecurely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network 69 health · GPL-3.0 · 7.2k stars
  • slskdA modern client-server application for the Soulseek file sharing network. 72 health · AGPL-3.0 · 4.3k stars
  • transfer.shEasy and fast file sharing from the command-line. 49 health · MIT · 15.9k stars
  • PicoShareA minimalist, easy-to-host service for sharing images and other files 62 health · AGPL-3.0 · 3.1k stars

All 14 projects in File sharing

Questions about PsiTransfer

Is PsiTransfer open source?

Yes. PsiTransfer is published under BSD-2-Clause, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is PsiTransfer still maintained?

Its health score is 53 of 100 (actively developed). It had 13 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 10 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 10 November 2026.

How do I run PsiTransfer?

You can run it with the Docker image ghcr.io/psi-4ward/psitransfer and in one click from YunoHost, Unraid and CasaOS. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What is PsiTransfer written in?

PsiTransfer is written mainly in JavaScript (77% of the code), with Vue (18%), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What languages is PsiTransfer available in?

The repository has interface translations for 14 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish and Russian.

What are the alternatives to PsiTransfer?

Close alternatives in the File sharing category include Zipline, OnionShare, slskd.