How To Build a Temporary File Ditch

Hey everyone! I wanted to share a little project I've been working on called FileDitch. It's a straightforward file sharing service that lets you upload files and share them via URLs that automatically expire. Think of it as a minimalist, self-hosted WeTransfer alternative.

Why Build This?

I frequently need to share files that are too big for email or discord but don't need permanent storage. While there are plenty of services out there, I wanted something I could host myself and customize according to my needs. Plus, it was a fun project to work on!

How It Works

Here's a quick overview of how FileDitch operates:

The flow is pretty simple:

Upload interface is password protected (keeps things simple)
Files get a randomized URL
Anyone can download without authentication
Files auto-delete after they expire

Technical Implementation

I built this using Node.js with Express for the backend and kept the frontend minimal with vanilla JavaScript. Here's the core architecture:

Some key technical decisions:

SQLite over Redis because it's simpler for a single container setup
File system storage instead of S3 to keep it self-contained
Password-only security to avoid user management
URL format: filename_randomstring.extension for clean sharing

Interesting Challenges

The trickiest parts were:

Handling concurrent uploads with unique filenames
Ensuring clean file deletion on expiry
Proper mime-type handling for downloads
Rate limiting uploads while keeping downloads open

Want to Try It?

The project is open source and pretty easy to self-host. You just need:

Docker
A reverse proxy for SSL (I use Nginx)
Basic environment configuration

Check out the repo if you want to run your own instance!

What's Next?

I'm thinking about adding:

Optional client-side encryption
Better file type validation
Multiple simultaneous uploads
Basic analytics dashboard

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!

Building a Temporary File Uploader