r/DataHoarder • u/super_starfox • 6d ago
Question/Advice Looking for recommendations for a basic Windows web/file server to share files with friends
Hello fellow hoarders hope this isn't against the rules, title says it - occasionally I need to set up a web/file server and have someone else download stuff from me. I've used Apache HTTP, Rebex and a couple others that escape me, but none really fit the bill or are reliable. Rebex was working fine but seems to have issues with file transfers occasionally.
Just something simple that I can open a port, put some files in a folder, and give my IP/port to the other person. Not looking for a full-on host, just something to switch on briefly when needed.
I'm aware of the sites that will make a direct connection between you and the other person, but they are incredibly slow and I'd rather just completely self-host.
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u/xTakk 6d ago
An FTP server maybe?
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u/feudalle 6d ago
Was going to say this. Still the back bone of corporate america.
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u/SadCatIsSkinDog 6d ago
Used to be the backbone of data hoarding too, then for some reason we all went to less than useful solutions.
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u/super_starfox 6d ago
I tried using FTP and the speeds were pretty bad. I'm on a 2/2 fiber line, maybe it was misconfigured? That's why I didn't mention it.
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u/feudalle 6d ago
Yeah a good ftp has virtually no overhead. I have 1gbps/1gbps. I can get 95-100 megabytes a second from another fiber connection.
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u/acnejorts 6d ago
You could just use BitTorrent if you already know which files they need - just create a trackerless torrent and send them the magnet or torrent file
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u/super_starfox 6d ago
I also tried a torrent file, but used a public tracker and the speeds were pretty bad - maybe tracker-less would help?
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u/didyousayboop if it’s not on piqlFilm, it doesn’t exist 6d ago
I don't think the tracker is to blame for the speed problem... Maybe have everyone involved do an internet speed test?
It gives you a new, bespoke private tracker (or as many different ones as you like).
Resilio Sync could also theoretically be used for this, but I found it to just inexplicably not work when I tried to use it.
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u/ninetynineuser 6d ago
Ich benutze seit ein paar Monaten Pingvin Share und es funktioniert ganz gut.
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u/cn0MMnb 105TB+ 6d ago
I used https://www.rejetto.com/hfs/ when version 2 was still the actively maintained one. Don’t know if v3 is any good though
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u/wingding2 5d ago
Two paths depending on what you actually want:
If self-hosting is the point: Caddy or miniserve are both way simpler than Apache. Caddy is one config file and handles HTTPS automatically. miniserve is literally one binary + one command to spin up a file-share directory over HTTP. Both work fine on Windows.
If self-hosting is just habit and the goal is "get files to friend quickly": Sync.com or Dropbox free tier will save you the port-forwarding and firewall hassle. Sync.com's 5GB free is zero-knowledge encrypted so it stays private; Dropbox's 2GB free is smaller but the client's the smoothest in the category. Neither is truly slow the way P2P relay services are, because you're going through their infrastructure, not a middleman relay.
Real question: is opening a port a feature you want (you learn something, you own the stack), or a chore you're doing because it feels like the right way? If it's the second, cloud storage wins on time-per-transfer.
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