pyLoad
Self-hosted download manager with a browser interface that pulls files from one-click hosters and cloud drives, suited to servers and NAS boxes.
pyLoad at a glance
What is pyLoad?
pyLoad is a download manager written entirely in Python that runs as a background service and is controlled from a web page, by default on port 8000. Plugins cover hundreds of file hosters and link decrypters, while addons supply notifications, schedulers and archive extraction. It can log in with premium hoster accounts, hand captchas to external solving services and accept links passed from the browser through Click'n'Load on port 9666. A REST API, described by an OpenAPI specification and browsable in Swagger UI, lets other programs queue and track downloads. It runs on Linux, macOS and Windows with Python 3.9 or newer.
Good fit if
- You want a headless machine, such as a NAS or home server, to work through long hoster download queues while you add links from another device.
- You hold premium accounts at file hosters and want one queue that uses them.
- You plan to drive downloads from scripts or a custom client through a documented API.
Look elsewhere if
- Your files come from torrents rather than hosters: qBittorrent or Transmission.
- You need to hand out your own files through links rather than collect files from hosters: Zipline.
Before you adopt it
pyLoad is released under AGPL-3.0, and the repository has no paid parts. The project is still in a pre-release phase: the README says there is no stable release yet and warns against running development builds in production. Installation goes through pip as the pyload-ng package or through the linuxserver/pyload-ng Docker image, with a compose example in the README. Nine authors committed in the last 90 days, but a single developer wrote about 84 percent of that work. Change the default pyload/pyload login right after the first start.
Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 9 November 2026. Report a correction
How to run pyLoad yourself
One-click install
Not listed in TrueNAS, Unraid, Runtipi 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
- 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
- Builds for Linux, Windows in GitHub releases
- Interface languages
- English only
Install instructions: pyload.net or the README on GitHub.
pyLoad health: is it still maintained?
66 of 100, actively developed
Read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. How the score works
pyLoad 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. OpenSSF Scorecard checks how a project is developed and released: reviews, protected branches, pinned dependencies, signed releases. It does not audit the code itself.
Latest advisories
- pyLoad XDCC downloader: authenticated ADD user triggers SSRF via unvalidated DCC SEND IP over raw TCP
- pyLoad Extraction Chain Has No Resource Limits
- pyload-ng: incomplete fix for GHSA-74v8-hgwq-2ppv - AIA SSRF guard is bypassable (IPv6 destinations never validated, DNS rebinding)
What each Scorecard check found
- Binary files10 / 10No compiled binaries checked into the repository
- Dangerous workflows10 / 10No risky patterns in GitHub Actions
- Maintained10 / 10Steady commits and issue activity in the last 90 days
- Packaging10 / 10Releases are published as packages from CI
- Security policy10 / 10Explains how to report a vulnerability
- License file9 / 10A license file is present, but not where tools look for it
- Token permissions9 / 10Some CI tokens have more rights than they need
- Best-practices badge0 / 10No OpenSSF Best Practices badge
- Code review0 / 10Changes are merged without review
- Fuzzing0 / 10No fuzz testing found
- Pinned dependencies0 / 10Dependencies are not pinned to fixed versions
- Signed releases0 / 10Releases are not signed
- Static analysis0 / 10No static analysis found
Advisories read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. From the OpenSSF Scorecard of 26 October 2026; checks that do not apply to pyLoad are left out.
pyLoad license: is it open source?
pyLoad uses AGPL-3.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI.
- February 2013First published on GitHub.
- TodayAGPL-3.0.
pyLoad for developers
Written in
- Python 87%
- JavaScript 6%
- HTML 6%
- CSS 1%
- Dockerfile <1%
Getting involved
Language shares are GitHub’s count of the code in the repository.
Alternatives to pyLoad
- OnionShareSecurely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network 69 health · GPL-3.0 · 7.2k stars
- GokapiLightweight selfhosted Firefox Send alternative without public upload. AWS S3 supported. 59 health · AGPL-3.0 · 3k stars
- qBittorrentqBittorrent BitTorrent client 91 health · GPL-3.0 · 41.5k stars
- ZiplineA ShareX/file upload server that is easy to use, packed with features, and with an easy setup! 78 health · MIT · 3.5k stars
- DashBeamShare files nearby and beyond. 77 health · AGPL-3.0 · 10.3k stars
Questions about pyLoad
Is pyLoad open source?
Yes. pyLoad is published under AGPL-3.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.
Is pyLoad still maintained?
Its health score is 66 of 100 (actively developed). It had 75 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 5 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 1 January 2026.
How do I run pyLoad?
You can run it with Docker, as an app for Linux, Windows and in one click from Umbrel, YunoHost, CasaOS and 1 more. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.
What is pyLoad written in?
pyLoad is written mainly in Python (87% of the code), with JavaScript (6%) and HTML (6%), by GitHub’s count of the repository.
What are the alternatives to pyLoad?
Close alternatives in the File sharing category include OnionShare, Gokapi, qBittorrent.