What is exoserve?

ExoServe is a self-hosted file storage system, meaning you run it on your own computer or server rather than relying on a company like Dropbox or Google Drive. Its main selling point is privacy: every file, file name, and folder structure is encrypted on your own device before anything is sent to the server. Because all the scrambling and unscrambling happens in your web browser, the server itself never sees your actual files or their names, only meaningless encrypted data. The server is intentionally kept "in the dark". It stores encrypted blobs of data without knowing what they contain, what they are called, or how they are organized into folders. Files are protected using a strong encryption standard called AES-256-GCM, which not only keeps data private but also detects if anyone tampers with it. File names on the server are replaced with a hash, a unique fingerprint generated from the encrypted content, so nothing readable is ever stored in plain text. To hide the folder structure itself, ExoServe organizes files using a technique called a Merkle tree, a common way of linking pieces of encrypted data together so the true directory layout stays hidden from the server. Files are also spread across many small subfolders on disk based on their hash, which keeps storage fast and organized even with huge numbers of files. The web interface is built with plain JavaScript and works like a familiar file explorer, with folder navigation, sorting, search, and right-click menus. A standout feature is the ability to preview images and videos without fully downloading and decrypting them first: the browser decrypts pieces of the file as they stream in, so playback feels instant rather than waiting for a full download. Multiple people or devices can safely use the same account at once, since the system automatically handles conflicts if two uploads or changes happen at the same time. Account setup only asks for a username and password, but a significant warning applies: if you forget your password, your data is permanently lost with no recovery option, since only you hold the keys needed to decrypt it. The full README is longer than what was shown.