transfer.sh

A self-hosted server for sharing files from the command line with curl, keeping uploads on local disk, Amazon S3, Google Drive or Storj.

15.9k stars, 1.6k forks Go On GitHub since October 2014

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

transfer.sh at a glance

Open sourceYes, MITNo paid parts in the repository
Health49 of 100Actively developed
Self-hostingDocker, Helm chart, Linux, macOSOne-click in YunoHost and Unraid
AppsLinux, macOS, including ARMBuilds in GitHub releases
InterfaceEnglish onlyNo translation files found
Issue repliesWithin ~4 hoursMedian first reply; 80% of recent issues answered

What is transfer.sh?

transfer.sh is a file-sharing server you upload to with plain HTTP tools such as curl, getting a download link back. Request headers limit how many times a file may be downloaded and for how many days it is kept, and a response header returns a URL for deleting the upload. Files can be encrypted on the server with a password, checked by VirusTotal, and served either as a direct download or inline. Storage can be the local file system, Amazon S3 or compatible endpoints such as MinIO, Google Drive, or Storj. Basic HTTP auth and IP allow and block lists restrict who may upload.

Good fit if

  • You move logs, builds or archives between servers and terminals and want one-line uploads.
  • You want temporary links that expire after a set number of downloads or days.

Look elsewhere if

Before you adopt it

transfer.sh is MIT-licensed, with no paid parts in the repository. The maintainers ask people to run their own instance rather than rely on public installations. The README opens with a security warning: IP filters and HTTP auth can be bypassed by spoofing the X-Forwarded-For header, so review that issue before exposing a server. Docker images, Linux and macOS builds and a Helm chart are available. The latest tagged release dates from December 2023, although commits continue.

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 transfer.sh yourself

One-click install

Not listed in Umbrel, TrueNAS, CasaOS, 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
dutchcoders/transfer.sh: 9.6M pulls · x86, x86-64, ARMv7, ARM64 · 12 MB download
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
Builds for Linux, macOS, including ARM in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

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

transfer.sh health: is it still maintained?

49 of 100, actively developed

Release rhythmNone in 12 monthsLatest: v1.6.1, 4 December 2023
Issue repliesWithin ~4 hoursMedian first reply; 80% of recent issues answered
Bus factorMedium riskThe most active of 4 authors wrote 58% of recent commits
  • Activity
    19 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 31 October 2026.
    16 / 30
  • Contributors
    4 people wrote the 19 commits of the last 90 days; the most active wrote 58% of them.
    9 / 20
  • Releases
    0 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v1.6.1, on 4 December 2023.
    1 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 80% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 4 hours.
    18 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 5 of 10.
    5 / 10

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

transfer.sh 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.

Security advisoriesNone publishedNo advisories in the repository’s Security tab
OpenSSF Scorecard5 of 10How the project is built and released
Security policyPartlyExplains how to report a vulnerability
Signed releasesNoDownloads cannot be checked against a signature

What each Scorecard check found

  • Binary files10 / 10No compiled binaries checked into the repository
  • License file10 / 10A license file is present
  • Maintained10 / 10Steady commits and issue activity in the last 90 days
  • Packaging10 / 10Releases are published as packages from CI
  • Branch protection4 / 10Rules on the main branch are partly enforced
  • Security policy4 / 10A security policy exists but leaves things out
  • Code review2 / 10Some changes are merged without review
  • Best-practices badge0 / 10No OpenSSF Best Practices badge
  • Fuzzing0 / 10No fuzz testing found
  • Signed releases0 / 10Releases are not signed

Advisories read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. From the OpenSSF Scorecard of 2 November 2026; checks that do not apply to transfer.sh are left out.

transfer.sh license: is it open source?

transfer.sh uses MIT, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. October 2014First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayMIT.

transfer.sh for developers

Written in

  • Go 83%
  • Nix 9%
  • Shell 6%
  • Go Template 1%
  • Dockerfile <1%
  • Other <1%

Getting involved

Help wanted1Open, labelled “help wanted”
Contributing guideNot foundNo CONTRIBUTING file in the repository
Open issues48On GitHub
Authors, 90 days4Of 19 commits

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

Alternatives to transfer.sh

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Questions about transfer.sh

Is transfer.sh open source?

Yes. transfer.sh is published under MIT, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is transfer.sh still maintained?

Its health score is 49 of 100 (actively developed). It had 19 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 31 October 2026, and its latest release came out on 4 December 2023.

How do I run transfer.sh?

You can run it with the Docker image dutchcoders/transfer.sh, on Kubernetes with the Helm chart in the repository, as an app for Linux, macOS, including ARM and in one click from YunoHost and Unraid. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What is transfer.sh written in?

transfer.sh is written mainly in Go (83% of the code), with Nix (9%) and Shell (6%), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What are the alternatives to transfer.sh?

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