Send files and folders anywhere in the world without storing in cloud

Send Files Anywhere, No Cloud Required

Ever need to shoot a file over to a coworker, but Slack has a size limit and you don't want to fuss with Google Drive? Or maybe you just don't love the idea of uploading your stuff to a random server you don't control. We found a neat little project that tackles this exact problem in a clever, peer-to-peer way.

It's called alt-sendme, and it lets you transfer files and folders directly to another machine. The key? No intermediate cloud storage. It's a direct line from you to the recipient.

What It Does

In a nutshell, alt-sendme is a command-line tool that creates a direct, secure connection between two computers for file transfer. You run a simple command to "serve" a file or folder, which generates a unique code. The recipient uses that code on their end to pull the files directly from your machine.

It's like a scp or rsync that doesn't require you to know the other person's IP address or have SSH keys set up. It handles the connection handshake for you.

Why It's Cool

The beauty of this tool is in its simplicity and its approach.

• Peer-to-Peer is King: Your files never touch a central server. The connection is established directly between the sender and receiver. This is great for privacy and for getting around upload/download limits imposed by some cloud services.
• It's Just HTTP: Under the hood, it uses a simple HTTP server to facilitate the transfer. This means it's incredibly straightforward and will work on almost any network without needing exotic ports.
• Dead-Simple CLI: The interface is exactly what you'd want. To send, you type sendme serve /path/to/your/file. It spits out a code. The receiver types sendme receive <code>. That's it.
• Handles Folders: It's not just for single files. You can zip up and send an entire directory structure just as easily.

How to Try It

Getting started is straightforward. It's a Node.js project, so you can install it directly from npm.

npm install -g alt-sendme

Once installed, you're ready to go.

To send a file:

1. Run sendme serve my-cool-document.pdf
2. The tool will display a connection code (e.g., friendly-dolphin-123).

To receive the file:

1. On the other machine, run sendme receive friendly-dolphin-123
2. The file will be downloaded directly from the sender's computer.

You can find the full source code, report issues, or contribute over on the GitHub repository: https://github.com/tonyantony300/alt-sendme

Final Thoughts

alt-sendme is one of those utilities that feels like it should have always existed. It solves a common, minor annoyance with a clean, no-fuss solution. It's perfect for quick transfers between your own machines, sharing a build with a teammate during a debugging session, or just sending a file when email attachments won't cut it.

It's a great example of a focused tool doing one job and doing it well. Next time you're about to drag a file into a cloud uploader, give this a shot instead.

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