> None of your files are ever sent to any server. Files are sent only between peers. Snapdrop doesn't even use a database. If you are curious have a look at the Server. Even if Snapdrop was able to view the files being transfered, WebRTC encrypts the files on transit, so the server would be unable to read them.
https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop/blob/master/docs/faq....
In Show HN: Snapdrop: Instantly share files between devices. No setup, no signupRobinLinus
snapdrop
JavaScript2016–2026
RobinLinus / snapdrop
snapdrop
The easiest way to share files between devices
24Distinct people
26Mentions
0Explicit recommenders
45GitHub stars
What to know before exploring
What it is
The easiest way to share files between devices
GitHub
Where it is used
No documented product use was verified in the last source check.
What people are saying
No recommendation phrase was found in the indexed comments.
No classified warning is attached to this page. Read the discussions before treating silence as approval.
Also in these discussions
- sharedropio/sharedrop · linked in 4 of the same discussions
- kern/filepizza · linked in 3 of the same discussions
- saljam/webwormhole · linked in 2 of the same discussions
Mentioned in the same Hacker News threads. That is not proof they are substitutes.
This week on Hacker News
Nov 7–Nov 14 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/14/2026, 3:03:16 PM UTC.
No direct repository links were found in the indexed HN discussions over the past seven days. Older discussions are available below.
Mentions over time
HN mentions by year26 dated mentions
Observed mentions: 2016-11-05 12:50:53 UTC to 2026-09-18 03:00:19 UTC.
* An incomplete calendar period is marked with an outlined bar. Its count is not directly comparable with a full period.
Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.
View mention counts and date ranges
| Period | Start (UTC) | End (exclusive, UTC) | Mentions | Submissions | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2017 | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 2021 | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| 2022 | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 (partial) | 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2027-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
From the project README
An excerpt from the repository, fetched Nov 13, 2026.
Read the project’s introduction
Snapdrop
Snapdrop: local file sharing in your browser. Inspired by Apple's Airdrop.
Snapdrop is built with the following awesome technologies:
Vanilla HTML5 / ES6 / CSS3 frontend
WebRTC / WebSockets
Rust backend
Progressive Web App
Have any questions? Read our FAQ.
You can host your own instance with Docker.
Read the full README on GitHubWhat Hacker News says
26 sourcesPairdrop is listed in the “Inofficial” instances section of Snapdrop’s GitHub FAQ
https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop/blob/master/docs/faq....
In Show HN: Snapdrop: Instantly share files between devices. No setup, no signupJust a few that are both open source and have the hosted public versions available:
https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop
https://github.com/jchorl/sendfiles
https://github.com/szimek/sharedrop
In Show HN: I built a website to share files and messages without any serverThere are a few browser based p2p file sharing tools [1] and a bunch of CLI tools out there as well for the same job.
# Browser Based
1. FilePizza https://file.pizza/
2. SnapDrop https://snapdrop.net/ https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop. A fork PairDrop https://github.com/schlagmichdoch/pairdrop
3. Instant.io https://instant.io/
4. file ai http://fileai.com/
5. Send Anywhere https://send-anywhere.com/
6. Just Beaam it https://www.justbeamit.com/
7. Yt2fb.in https://yt2fb.in/file-transfer/
8. drop.lol https://drop.lol/ https://github.com/mat-sz/filedrop
# CLI
1. croc https://github.com/schollz/croc
2. p2pcopy https://github.com/psantosl/p2pcopy
3. pcp https://github.com/dennis-tra/pcp
4. wormhole-william https://github.com/psanford/wormhole-william
[1]: https://gist.github.com/SMUsamaShah/fd6e275e44009b72f64d0570...
In LocalSend: Open-source, cross-platform file sharing to nearby devicesHere is a list of open source options. This isn't the first time I have shared this on here either. Perhaps this is another sign that web search is failing us.
SnapDrop
- Site: https://snapdrop.net/
- Source: https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop
ShareDrop
- Site: https://www.sharedrop.io/
- Source: https://github.com/szimek/sharedrop
FilePizza
- Site: https://file.pizza/
- Source: https://github.com/kern/filepizza
Original Wormhole
- https://webwormhole.io/
- https://github.com/saljam/webwormhole
In How to copy a file between devices? (2022)Sounds similar to https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop
In Ask HN: WebRTC self-hosted file sharingI would be interested in an overview and comparison of all the available options to solve this kind of problem. Here is a list of some services I’ve used successfully in the past.
SnapDrop
- Site: https://snapdrop.net/
- Source: https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop
ShareDrop
- Site: https://www.sharedrop.io/
- Source: https://github.com/szimek/sharedrop
FilePizza
- Site: https://file.pizza/
- Source: https://github.com/kern/filepizza
Wormhole
- Site: https://wormhole.app/
- Source: Closed (for now)
In OpenDrop: An open Apple AirDrop implementation written in PythonI'm using a self hosted instance of https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop
Works great on local network (even mixed: windows/macosx/ios)
In Direct file transfer via browser with no server involvementYou may find Snapdrop interesting: https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop
It uses WebRTC for local file transfers, though as of yet it still needs a server to shuffle connection messages between peers on the same IP.
In Improv Wi-Fi: Open Standard for Setting Up Wi-Fi via Bluetooth LEThis looks good.
There is similar tool which web based and opensource Snapdrop[0](https://snapdrop.net/) which works on the same network.
[0] https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop
In Show HN: LANDrop – A cross-platform AirDrop-like file transfer toolSnapdrop: Local file sharing in the browser. Inspired by Apple's Airdrop
3 points · Open discussionI would actually love a similar (open source) system, that is working cross-platform.
EDIT: I just found snapdrop [1], but haven't given it a try yet.
[1] https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop
In Apple AirDrop shares more than filesYou can probably use the docker container from the repo.
Link: https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop
In Snapdrop – AirDrop equivalent through a web browser using WebRTCSimply by grouping clients into rooms by their public IP.
> You can be discovered by everyone on this network
Assumption here being that the devices on the same network are all NAT'd behind the same public IP, which usually holds true.
See the server code for designating rooms & peers:
https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop/blob/master/server/in...
Can also test that there is no "discovery" beyond public IP grouping by turning off wifi on your mobile and joining from mobile network.
In Snapdrop – AirDrop equivalent through a web browser using WebRTCShowing the 15 most recent of 26 sources. Enable JavaScript to search and browse every indexed mention.