What is cloudfay?

CloudFay is a self-hosted file storage server. It lets you store files on your own computer and access them from other devices through a web browser. The project was built as a personal cloud storage solution, and the developer plans to add multi-user support in a future version. The core feature set covers what you would expect from a file manager. You can upload and download files, create folders, rename items, and move them around. Large files are handled carefully: instead of loading an entire file into memory, the server writes it to disk in chunks. The developer tested this with a file of about 8.15 GB. There is also a trash bin for deleted items, so you can restore files or remove them permanently. Search and sorting are included, and the server can generate thumbnails for supported file types. You can create temporary public links to share files with others. Security is handled through bearer tokens for the API, and the server protects against path traversal attacks that try to escape the storage folder. Access to files and operations is checked on every request. Configuration is done through a .env file where you set your username, password, and a secret token. The project also exposes a REST API, which lets external programs log in, list files, upload, download, rename, move, delete, restore, create folders, and generate temporary links. This means other apps or scripts can interact with CloudFay directly, not just through the web interface. Running it requires Windows and Python 3.12. You install dependencies with pip, configure your .env file, and start the server with python server.py. Once running, you access it at http://127.0.0.1:8000 on your own machine. To reach it from other devices, the README recommends using Tailscale and connecting to your Tailscale IP address. The project uses the PolyForm Noncommercial License, which means it is free for personal use but not for commercial purposes.