File transfer doesn't need to be complicated

A free and open-source file transfer tool that harnesses the power of cutting-edge peer-to-peer networking, letting you transfer files directly without storing them on cloud servers.

Why rely on WeTransfer, Dropbox, or Google Drive when you can reliably and easily transfer files directly, end-to-end encrypted and without revealing any personal information?

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Features

• Send anywhere – Works seamlessly on local networks or across continents.
• Peer-to-peer direct transfer – Send files straight between devices, with no cloud storage in between.
• End-to-end encryption – Always-on protection with QUIC + TLS 1.3 for forward and backward secrecy.
• No accounts or personal info – Transfer files without sign-ups or exposing personal info.
• Transfer anything – Send files or directories of any size or any format, verified with BLAKE3-based integrity checks.
• Resumable transfers – Interrupted downloads automatically resume where they left off.
• Fast & reliable – Capable of saturating multi-gigabit connections for lightning-fast transfers.
• NAT traversal via QUIC – Secure, low-latency connections using QUIC hole punching with encrypted relay fallback.
• CLI integration – Interoperable with the Sendme CLI.
• Mobile & web – Coming soon.
• Free & open source – No upload costs, no size limits, and fully community-driven.

Installation

The easiest way to get started is by downloading one of the following versions for your respective operating system:

Platform	Download
Windows	AltSendme.exe
macOS	AltSendme.dmg
Linux	AltSendme.deb

Windows (Scoop)

scoop bucket add extras
scoop install extras/altsendme

More download options in GitHub Releases.

How it works

1. Drop your file or folder - AltSendme creates a one-time share code (called a "ticket").
2.  Share the ticket via chat, email, or text.
3. Your friend pastes the ticket in their app, and the transfer begins.

Under the hood ⚙️🛠️

AltSendme uses Iroh under the hood to enable peer-to-peer file transfer. It is a modern modular alternative to technologies like WebRTC and libp2p.

Important concepts

• Blobs
• Tickets
• Peer Discovery, Hole-punching & NAT traversal
• QUIC & End-to-end encryption
• Relays

1. Blobs

Content-addressed blob storage and transfer. iroh-blobs implements request/response and streaming transfers of arbitrary-sized byte blobs, using BLAKE3-verified streams and content-addressed links.

• Blob: an opaque sequence of bytes (no embedded metadata).
• Link: a 32-byte BLAKE3 hash that identifies a blob.
• HashSeq: a blob that contains a sequence of links (useful for chunking/trees).
• Provider / Requester: provider serves data; requester fetches it. An endpoint can be both.

2. Tickets

Tickets are a way to share dialing information between iroh endpoints. They're a single token that contains everything needed to connect to another endpoint, or to fetch a blob in this case. Contains Ed25519 NodeIds: Your device's cryptographic identity for authentication.They're also very powerful. It's worth pointing out this setup is considerably better than full peer-2-peer systems, which broadcast your IP to peers. Instead in iroh, tickets are used to form a "cozy network" between peers you explicitly want to connect with. It's possible to go "full p2p" & configure your app to broadcast dialing details, but tickets represent a better middle-ground default.

3. Peer Discovery, NAT Traversal & Hole Punching

Peers register with an open-source public relay servers at startup to help traverse firewalls and NATs, enabling connection setup. Once connected, Iroh uses QUIC hole punching to try and establish a direct peer-to-peer connection, bypassing the relay. If direct connection is possible, communication happens directly between peers with end-to-end encryption; otherwise, the relay operates only temporarily as a fallback. This enables smooth reliable connections between peers within local-network and across the internet.

4. QUIC & Encryption

QUIC is a modern transport protocol built on UDP, designed to reduce latency and improve web performance over TCP. Developed originally by Google and now standardized by the IETF as HTTP/3's foundation, it integrates TLS 1.3 encryption directly into the protocol.

QUIC allows following super-powers:

• encryption & authentication
• stream multiplexing
  • no head-of-line blocking issues
  • stream priorities
  • one shared congestion controller
• an encrypted, unreliable datagram transport
• zero round trip time connection establishment if you've connected to another endpoint before

5. Relays

AltSendme uses open-source public relay servers to support establishing direct connections, to speed up initial connection times, and to provide a fallback should direct connections between two endpoints fail or be impossible otherwise. All connections are end-to-end encrypted. The relay is “just another UDP socket” for sending encrypted packets around. Read more.

Roadmap 🚧

• Better support for Linux distros, Windows and mac.
• Mobile versions
• Faster transfers
• Easier transfers
• Better insights into transfer process and system/network info
• Advanced user interface for power users and simple functional UI for those who just want to share stuff.
• Features for those who needs better privacy
• Features for those who wants speed and convenience

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Supported Languages

🇺🇸 🇷🇺 🇷🇸 🇫🇷 🇨🇳 🇹🇼 🇩🇪 🇯🇵 🇹🇭 🇮🇹 🇨🇿 🇪🇸 🇧🇷 🇸🇦 🇮🇷 🇰🇷 🇮🇳 🇵🇱 🇺🇦 🇹🇷 🇳🇴 🇧🇩

Troubleshooting

1. AltSendme Won't Launch on Windows (Missing Edge WebView2 Runtime)

Symptom

• When you double-click AltSendme.exe, nothing happens. No window appears, and Task Manager does not show the process.
• This can affect both the standard installer and the portable version.

Cause

• Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime is either missing, outdated, or improperly installed on your system.
  AltSendme depends on WebView2 to render the interface on Windows.

How to Fix

1. Check if WebView2 is installed

   • Open Add or Remove Programs (a.k.a. Apps & features) on Windows.
   • Look for Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime.

2. Install or Update WebView2

   • Download the WebView2 Runtime directly from Microsoft: link.
   • If you prefer an offline installer, download the offline package and run it as an Administrator.

3. Re-run AltSendme

   • After installing/updating WebView2, launch AltSendme.exe again.
   • If you still encounter problems, reboot your PC and try again.

Additional Tips

• If reinstalling once doesn’t work, uninstall Edge WebView2 completely, then reinstall it with Administrator privileges.
• Verify your Windows installation has the latest updates from Microsoft.

Still Stuck?

• Head over to our Discord server and open a support discussion with detailed logs of your environment and the steps you’ve taken.

Development Setup

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.81+
• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn

Getting Started

1. Fork and clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/alt-sendme.git
   cd alt-sendme
   

2. Install frontend dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Install Tauri:

   cargo install tauri-cli
   
   

4. Run in development mode:

   cargo tauri dev
   

5. Build locally :

    cargo tauri build --no-bundle
   

Join our Discord

The best way to contribute is to join our Discord and say hi. Introduce yourself and share what skills or interests you have - whether that’s coding, testing, design, or something else. You can also raise issues, suggest fixes, or pitch ideas. Maintainers are there to guide you every step of the way.

It’s the best place to get context, align on direction, and collaborate with the community.

License

AGPL-3.0

Privacy Policy

See PRIVACY.md for information about how AltSendme handles your data and privacy.

Contributors

Acknowledgements

• Iroh
• Tauri

Contact

Reach me here for suggestions, feedback or media related communication.

Thank you for checking out this project! If you find it useful, consider giving it a star and helping spread the word.