WarpBox
WarpBox is a small, self-hosted file sharing app with temporary upload boxes, simple download links, optional passwords, ZIP downloads, generated image thumbnails, and a very deliberate retro desktop mood.
It is meant to feel quick: pick files, choose how long the box should live, upload, and share the link.
flowchart LR
User[Person in browser]
UI[WarpBox UI]
API[Go HTTP server]
Manifest[(Box manifest JSON)]
Files[(Uploaded files)]
Thumbs[(Thumbnail JPEGs)]
DB[(BadgerDB metadata)]
User --> UI
UI -->|create box / upload / poll status| API
API --> Manifest
API --> Files
API --> DB
Files -->|download files or build ZIP| API
Thumbs -->|preview URLs| UI
Files -->|scan image files| Thumbs
Features
- Multi-file uploads through a browser UI.
- Temporary boxes with configurable retention choices.
- Optional password protection per box.
- Individual file downloads or a single ZIP download.
- One-time download mode for ZIP-only handoff.
- Background thumbnails for image files.
- Plain filesystem storage, with JSON manifests next to uploaded files.
- Local BadgerDB metadata store for users, tags, sessions, and settings.
- No external database service required.
How It Fits Together
flowchart TB
Browser[Browser UI]
Server[Go HTTP server]
Manifest[Box manifest JSON]
Files[Uploaded files]
Thumbs[Generated thumbnails]
DB[(BadgerDB metadata)]
Browser -->|POST /box, uploads, status polls| Server
Server --> Manifest
Server --> Files
Server --> Thumbs
Server --> DB
Thumbs -->|preview URLs| Browser
Files -->|downloads / ZIP| Browser
Quick Start
Requirements:
- Go 1.22 or newer.
Run the app:
go run ./cmd run
Then open:
http://localhost:8080
To listen somewhere else:
go run ./cmd run --addr :3000
Configuration
WarpBox loads defaults, applies environment variables at startup, then applies safe admin settings overrides from BadgerDB. Hard storage and global limit settings remain environment controlled.
| Variable | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
WARPBOX_DATA_DIR |
./data |
Root directory for uploads and metadata. |
WARPBOX_ADMIN_PASSWORD |
empty | Bootstraps the first admin when set. |
WARPBOX_ADMIN_USERNAME |
admin |
Bootstrap admin username. |
WARPBOX_ADMIN_EMAIL |
empty | Bootstrap admin email. |
WARPBOX_ADMIN_ENABLED |
auto |
Admin login mode: auto, true, or false. |
WARPBOX_ALLOW_ADMIN_SETTINGS_OVERRIDE |
true |
Allows safe settings overrides from /admin/settings. |
WARPBOX_ADMIN_COOKIE_SECURE |
false |
Sets the Secure flag on admin session cookies. |
WARPBOX_GUEST_UPLOADS_ENABLED |
true |
Enables guest uploads. |
WARPBOX_API_ENABLED |
true |
Enables JSON/upload endpoints used by the UI. |
WARPBOX_ZIP_DOWNLOADS_ENABLED |
true |
Enables ZIP downloads. |
WARPBOX_ONE_TIME_DOWNLOADS_ENABLED |
true |
Enables one-time download boxes. |
WARPBOX_ONE_TIME_DOWNLOAD_EXPIRY_SECONDS |
604800 |
One-time box lifetime after uploads finish; 0 disables timed expiry. |
WARPBOX_ONE_TIME_DOWNLOAD_RETRY_ON_FAILURE |
false |
Keeps one-time boxes alive when ZIP build/send fails before completion. |
WARPBOX_RENEW_ON_ACCESS_ENABLED |
false |
Renews expiring boxes on access. |
WARPBOX_RENEW_ON_DOWNLOAD_ENABLED |
false |
Renews expiring boxes on download. |
WARPBOX_DEFAULT_GUEST_EXPIRY_SECONDS |
10 |
Default guest retention. |
WARPBOX_MAX_GUEST_EXPIRY_SECONDS |
172800 |
Max guest retention shown/accepted. |
WARPBOX_GLOBAL_MAX_FILE_SIZE_BYTES |
0 |
Hard per-file cap; 0 means unlimited. |
WARPBOX_GLOBAL_MAX_BOX_SIZE_BYTES |
0 |
Hard per-box cap; 0 means unlimited. |
WARPBOX_DEFAULT_USER_MAX_FILE_SIZE_BYTES |
0 |
Default user file cap. |
WARPBOX_DEFAULT_USER_MAX_BOX_SIZE_BYTES |
0 |
Default user box cap. |
WARPBOX_SESSION_TTL_SECONDS |
86400 |
Admin session lifetime. |
WARPBOX_BOX_POLL_INTERVAL_MS |
5000 |
Browser polling interval for box/file status updates. |
WARPBOX_THUMBNAIL_BATCH_SIZE |
10 |
Number of pending thumbnails processed per worker pass. |
WARPBOX_THUMBNAIL_INTERVAL_SECONDS |
30 |
Delay between thumbnail worker passes. |
Size limits also accept _MB variants for the same settings.
Example:
WARPBOX_ADMIN_PASSWORD='change-me' \
WARPBOX_ONE_TIME_DOWNLOAD_EXPIRY_SECONDS=604800 \
WARPBOX_BOX_POLL_INTERVAL_MS=2000 \
WARPBOX_THUMBNAIL_BATCH_SIZE=20 \
WARPBOX_THUMBNAIL_INTERVAL_SECONDS=10 \
go run ./cmd run --addr :8080
Open /admin/login after startup to sign in with the bootstrap admin.
Storage
Uploads are stored locally under:
<WARPBOX_DATA_DIR>/uploads/
Each box gets its own directory containing the uploaded files and a
.warpbox.json manifest. Image thumbnails are stored inside a box-local
.thumbnails directory.
Persistent app metadata lives in BadgerDB under:
<WARPBOX_DATA_DIR>/db/
data/uploads/
+-- <box-id>/
+-- .warpbox.json
+-- file.txt
+-- .thumbnails/
+-- <file-id>.jpg
data/db/
Project Layout
cmd/ CLI entrypoint
lib/server/ HTTP handlers and server setup
lib/routing/ Route registration
lib/boxstore/ Box storage, manifests, downloads, thumbnails
lib/config/ Typed environment and runtime settings config
lib/metastore/ BadgerDB metadata store for users, tags, settings, sessions
lib/helpers/ Small shared helpers
lib/models/ Shared request/response models
templates/ Server-rendered HTML
static/css/ Stylesheets
static/js/ Browser scripts
static/img/ Icons, sprites, and backgrounds
static/fonts/ Bitmap/pixel fonts
static/cursors/ Custom cursor packs
static/popups/ HTML popup content
docs/ Project documentation
Notes
WarpBox is intentionally simple. It uses the local filesystem for box data, BadgerDB for app metadata, relies on generated box IDs for share links, and keeps most behavior easy to follow from the Go handlers and the small browser scripts.
For a short implementation overview, see docs/tech.md.