Shifter

Shifter is a lightweight, self‑hosted file‑sharing service that exposes a single‑click or drag‑and‑drop upload workflow through a modern web UI. From a developer’s standpoint it is essentially a Django 4.x application with a Tailwind‑CSS front end, backed by either SQLite or PostgreSQL. The core of the system is a REST‑like endpoint that accepts multipart form data, stores the file on disk (or any Django storage backend), and returns a short‑lived download link. The service automatically zips multiple uploads, enforces per‑file size limits, and deletes files after an expiry period defined in the admin panel.

Architecture & Technical Stack

• Backend – Django 4.x, using the default ORM for database interactions. The app defines a single File model that stores metadata (owner, size, upload timestamp, expiry). Django’s admin interface is leveraged for site configuration and user management.
• Storage – By default the FileSystemStorage is used, but any Django‑compatible storage backend (S3, MinIO, etc.) can be plugged in via settings.
• Frontend – Tailwind CSS with Flowbite components for a responsive UI. File uploads are handled client‑side by FilePond, which provides drag‑and‑drop, chunked uploads, and progress bars. JSZip is used to create a zip archive on the fly when multiple files are uploaded.
• Containerization – A single docker-compose.yml orchestrates the web service and an optional PostgreSQL container. The image is published to GHCR, making it trivial to pull the latest release.

Core Capabilities & APIs

• Upload API – POST /api/upload/ accepts multipart form data, returns JSON containing a unique token and download URL.
• Download API – GET /download/<token>/ streams the file or zip archive, respecting the expiry timestamp.
• File Management – Authenticated users can list, delete, or force‑expire their uploads via the UI or through the /api/files/ endpoint.
• Administrative Controls – The Django admin exposes global settings: MAX_FILE_SIZE, DEFAULT_EXPIRY_DAYS, and per‑user upload quotas.

All endpoints are protected by Django’s authentication middleware; API routes can be secured further with DRF or custom decorators if needed.

Deployment & Infrastructure

Shifter is designed for simple self‑hosting. With Docker Compose, a single command (docker compose up) brings the app and its optional PostgreSQL database online. The container runs under a non‑root user, uses ENV variables for configuration (e.g., SHIFTER_URL, DEBUG, DATABASE), and mounts a persistent volume for uploaded files. The architecture scales horizontally by adding more worker containers behind a reverse proxy (NGINX or Traefik), but because the default storage is local disk, scaling out requires a shared filesystem (e.g., NFS, Ceph) or switching to an S3‑compatible backend.

Integration & Extensibility

• Plugins – Shifter’s codebase is intentionally minimal, but its Django foundation allows developers to fork the project and add custom apps (e.g., OAuth2 authentication, email notifications).
• Webhooks – The upload view can be extended to fire signals (post_save on the File model), which external services can listen to via Django’s signal framework or a custom webhook endpoint.
• Custom Storage – By implementing a subclass of django.core.files.storage.Storage, developers can redirect uploads to any cloud provider without touching the core logic.
• Front‑end Customization – Tailwind’s utility classes and Flowbite components make it straightforward to modify the UI or replace FilePond with another library.

Developer Experience

• Configuration – Almost all tunable parameters are exposed as environment variables or admin settings; no code changes are required for most deployments.
• Documentation – The README provides a clear, step‑by‑step guide for Docker deployment and database switching. API usage is inferred from the UI; however, developers can generate OpenAPI specs with Django‑REST‑Framework if they choose to extend the API.
• Community & Licensing – The project is MIT‑licensed, encouraging reuse and modification. The repository’s issue tracker shows active maintenance, with CI badges indicating passing tests.

Use Cases

• Internal File Sharing – Small teams can host Shifter on a shared server to exchange documents without relying on external cloud services.
• Event Attendees – Organizers can create temporary accounts for event participants to upload photos or recordings that expire after the conference.
• Developer Tooling – CI pipelines can push build artifacts to Shifter, generating shareable links for QA or stakeholders.
• Educational Settings – Instructors can host Shifter on campus servers to provide students with a secure, self‑contained file drop box.

Advantages Over Alternatives

• Zero‑Configuration REST API – No need to build a custom upload endpoint; Shifter’s built‑in API suffices for most use cases.
• Fast Deployment – Docker Compose eliminates environment drift; the app runs out of the box with minimal setup.
• Extensibility – Django’s mature ecosystem means adding authentication, analytics, or custom storage is straightforward.
• License Freedom – MIT licensing removes vendor lock‑in, allowing on‑premise or cloud deployments without subscription costs.
• Performance – FilePond’s chunked uploads and Django’s efficient file streaming make the service responsive even for large