DumbDrop

A stupid simple file upload application that provides a clean, modern interface for dragging and dropping files. Built with Node.js and vanilla JavaScript.

No auth (unless you want it!), no complicated setup (unless you want to!), no nothing. Just a simple way to drop dumb files into a dumb folder... or an S3 bucket!

Table of Contents

• Quick Start
• Production Deployment with Docker
• Local Development (Recommended Quick Start)
• Features
• Configuration
• Security
• Technical Details
• Demo Mode
• Contributing
• License

Quick Start

Option 1: Docker (For Dummies - Local Storage)

# Pull and run with one command (uses local storage)
docker run -p 3000:3000 -v ./uploads:/app/uploads dumbwareio/dumbdrop:latest

1. Go to http://localhost:3000
2. Upload a File - It'll show up in ./uploads on your host machine.
3. Celebrate on how dumb easy this was.

Option 2: Docker Compose (For Dummies who like customizing - Local or S3)

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  dumbdrop:
    image: dumbwareio/dumbdrop:latest # Use the desired tag/version
    ports:
      - "3000:3000" # Map host port 3000 to container port 3000
    volumes:
      # Mount a host directory to store metadata (.metadata folder)
      # This is needed even for S3 mode to track ongoing uploads.
      # For local storage mode, this is also where files land.
      - ./uploads:/app/uploads
    environment:
      # --- Core Settings ---
      # STORAGE_TYPE: "local" # Options: "local", "s3" (Defaults to "local" if unset)
      DUMBDROP_TITLE: "My DumbDrop"
      BASE_URL: "http://localhost:3000/" # Must end with a slash!
      MAX_FILE_SIZE: 1024 # Max file size in MB
      DUMBDROP_PIN: "" # Optional PIN (4-10 digits)
      AUTO_UPLOAD: "false" # Set to "true" to upload immediately

      # --- Local Storage Settings (if STORAGE_TYPE="local") ---
      UPLOAD_DIR: "/app/uploads" # *Must* be set inside container if using local storage

      # --- S3 Storage Settings (if STORAGE_TYPE="s3") ---
      # S3_REGION: "us-east-1" # Your S3 region (e.g., us-west-000 for B2)
      # S3_BUCKET_NAME: "your-s3-bucket-name" # Your bucket name
      # S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID: "YOUR_ACCESS_KEY" # Your S3 Access Key
      # S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: "YOUR_SECRET_KEY" # Your S3 Secret Key
      # S3_ENDPOINT_URL: "" # Optional: e.g., https://s3.us-west-000.backblazeb2.com for B2, http://minio.local:9000 for Minio
      # S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE: "false" # Optional: Set to "true" for providers like Minio

      # --- Optional Settings ---
      # ALLOWED_EXTENSIONS: ".jpg,.png,.pdf" # Comma-separated allowed extensions
      # ALLOWED_IFRAME_ORIGINS: "https://organizr.example.com" # Allow embedding in specific origins
      # APPRISE_URL: "" # For notifications
      # FOOTER_LINKS: "My Site @ https://example.com" # Custom footer links
      # CLIENT_MAX_RETRIES: 5 # Client-side chunk retry attempts
    restart: unless-stopped

Then run:

docker compose up -d

1. Go to http://localhost:3000
2. Upload a File - It'll show up in ./uploads (if local) or your S3 bucket (if S3).
3. Rejoice in the glory of your dumb uploads, now potentially in the cloud!

Note: When using STORAGE_TYPE=s3, the local volume mount (./uploads:/app/uploads) is still used to store temporary metadata files (.metadata folder) for tracking multipart uploads. The actual files go to S3.

Option 3: Running Locally (For Developers)

For local development setup without Docker, see the dedicated guide:

👉 Local Development Guide

Features

• 🚀 Drag and drop file uploads
• 📁 Multiple file selection
• ☁️ Optional S3 Storage: Store files in AWS S3, Backblaze B2, MinIO, or other S3-compatible services.
• 💾 Local Storage: Default simple file storage on the server's disk.
• 🎨 Clean, responsive UI with Dark Mode
• 📦 Docker support with easy configuration
• 📂 Directory upload support (maintains structure in local storage or as S3 keys)
• 🔒 Optional PIN protection
• 📱 Mobile-friendly interface
• 🔔 Configurable notifications via Apprise
• ⚡ Zero dependencies on client-side
• 🛡️ Built-in security features (rate limiting, security headers)
• 💾 Configurable file size limits
• 🎯 File extension filtering
• ⚙️ Native S3 Multipart Upload for large files when using S3 storage.
• 🔗 S3 Presigned URLs for efficient downloads (offloads server bandwidth).

Configuration

DumbDrop is configured primarily through environment variables.

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default	Required
STORAGE_TYPE	Storage backend: local or s3	local	No
PORT	Server port	3000	No
BASE_URL	Base URL for the application (must end with /)	http://localhost:PORT/	No
MAX_FILE_SIZE	Maximum file size in MB	1024	No
DUMBDROP_PIN	PIN protection (4-10 digits)	None	No
DUMBDROP_TITLE	Title displayed in the browser tab/header	DumbDrop	No
AUTO_UPLOAD	Enable automatic upload on file selection (true/false)	false	No
ALLOWED_EXTENSIONS	Comma-separated list of allowed file extensions (e.g., .jpg,.png)	None (all allowed)	No
ALLOWED_IFRAME_ORIGINS	Comma-separated list of origins allowed to embed in an iframe	None	No
FOOTER_LINKS	Comma-separated custom footer links (Format: "Text @ URL")	None	No
CLIENT_MAX_RETRIES	Max retry attempts for client-side chunk uploads	5	No
DEMO_MODE	Run in demo mode (true/false). Overrides storage settings.	false	No
APPRISE_URL	Apprise URL for notifications	None	No
APPRISE_MESSAGE	Notification message template ({filename}, {size}, {storage})	New file uploaded...	No
APPRISE_SIZE_UNIT	Size unit for notifications (B, KB, MB, GB, TB, Auto)	Auto	No
---	---	---	---
Local Storage Only:
UPLOAD_DIR	(Docker) Directory for uploads/metadata inside container	None	Yes (if STORAGE_TYPE=local)
LOCAL_UPLOAD_DIR	(Local Dev) Directory for uploads/metadata on host machine	./local_uploads	No (if STORAGE_TYPE=local)
---	---	---	---
S3 Storage Only:
S3_REGION	S3 Region (e.g., us-east-1, us-west-000)	None	Yes (if STORAGE_TYPE=s3)
S3_BUCKET_NAME	Name of the S3 Bucket	None	Yes (if STORAGE_TYPE=s3)
S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID	S3 Access Key ID	None	Yes (if STORAGE_TYPE=s3)
S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY	S3 Secret Access Key	None	Yes (if STORAGE_TYPE=s3)
S3_ENDPOINT_URL	(Optional) Custom S3 endpoint URL (for B2, MinIO, etc.)	None (uses default AWS endpoint)	No
S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE	(Optional) Force path-style S3 requests (true/false). Needed for MinIO, etc.	false	No

• Storage: Set STORAGE_TYPE to s3 to enable S3 storage. Otherwise, it defaults to local.
• Local Storage: If STORAGE_TYPE=local, UPLOAD_DIR (in Docker) or LOCAL_UPLOAD_DIR (local dev) determines where files are stored.
• S3 Storage: If STORAGE_TYPE=s3, the S3_* variables are required. UPLOAD_DIR/LOCAL_UPLOAD_DIR is still used for storing temporary .metadata files locally.
• S3 Endpoint/Path Style: Use S3_ENDPOINT_URL and S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE only if connecting to a non-AWS S3-compatible service.
• BASE_URL: Must end with a trailing slash (/). The app will fail to start otherwise. Example: http://your.domain.com/dumbdrop/.
• Security Note (S3): For production, using IAM Roles (e.g., EC2 Instance Profiles, ECS Task Roles) is strongly recommended over embedding Access Keys in environment variables.

See .env.example for a template.

ALLOWED_IFRAME_ORIGINS

To allow this app to be embedded in an iframe on specific origins (such as Organizr), set the ALLOWED_IFRAME_ORIGINS environment variable. For example:

ALLOWED_IFRAME_ORIGINS=https://organizr.example.com,https://myportal.com

• If not set, the app will only allow itself to be embedded in an iframe on the same origin (default security).
• If set, the app will allow embedding in iframes on the specified origins and itself.
• Security Note: Only add trusted origins. Allowing arbitrary origins can expose your app to clickjacking and other attacks.

File Extension Filtering

To restrict which file types can be uploaded, set the ALLOWED_EXTENSIONS environment variable with comma-separated extensions (including the dot):

ALLOWED_EXTENSIONS=.jpg,.jpeg,.png,.pdf,.doc,.docx,.txt

If not set, all file extensions will be allowed.

Notification Setup

Message Templates

The notification message supports the following placeholders:

• {filename}: Name of the uploaded file (or S3 Key)
• {size}: Size of the file (formatted according to APPRISE_SIZE_UNIT)
• {storage}: Total size of all files in upload directory (Local storage only)

Example message template:

APPRISE_MESSAGE: New file dropped: {filename} ({size})!

Size formatting examples:

• Auto (default): Chooses nearest unit (e.g., "1.44MB", "256KB")
• Fixed unit: Set APPRISE_SIZE_UNIT to B, KB, MB, GB, or TB

Notification Support

• Integration with Apprise for flexible notifications
• Customizable notification messages
• Optional - disabled if no APPRISE_URL is set

S3 Cleanup Recommendation

When using STORAGE_TYPE=s3, DumbDrop relies on the native S3 Multipart Upload mechanism. If an upload is interrupted, incomplete parts may remain in your S3 bucket.

It is strongly recommended to configure a Lifecycle Rule on your S3 bucket (or use your provider's equivalent tool) to automatically abort and delete incomplete multipart uploads after a reasonable period (e.g., 1-7 days). This prevents orphaned parts from accumulating costs. DumbDrop's cleanup only removes local tracking files, not the actual S3 parts.

Security

Features

• Variable-length PIN support (4-10 digits)
• Constant-time PIN comparison
• Input sanitization (filenames, paths)
• Rate limiting on API endpoints
• Security headers (CSP, HSTS, etc.)
• File extension filtering
• No client-side PIN storage
• Secure file handling (uses S3 presigned URLs for downloads if S3 is enabled)

Technical Details

Stack

• Backend: Node.js (>=20.0.0) with Express
• Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript (ES6+)
• Storage: Local Filesystem or S3-compatible Object Storage
• Container: Docker with multi-stage builds
• Security: Express security middleware
• Upload: Chunked uploads via client-side logic, processed via Express middleware, using native S3 Multipart Upload when STORAGE_TYPE=s3.
• Notifications: Apprise integration
• SDK: AWS SDK for JavaScript v3 (@aws-sdk/client-s3, @aws-sdk/s3-request-presigner) when STORAGE_TYPE=s3.

Dependencies

• express: Web framework
• @aws-sdk/client-s3: AWS S3 SDK (used if STORAGE_TYPE=s3)
• @aws-sdk/s3-request-presigner: For S3 presigned URLs (used if STORAGE_TYPE=s3)
• cookie-parser: Parse cookies
• cors: Cross-origin resource sharing
• dotenv: Environment configuration
• express-rate-limit: Rate limiting

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes using conventional commits
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

See Local Development (Recommended Quick Start) for local setup and guidelines.

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Made with ❤️ by DumbWare.io

Future Features

• Camera Upload for Mobile

Got an idea? Open an issue or submit a PR