I Built ButterShare: Free P2P File Transfer Without Cloud Storage

Anirban Roy — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 05:57:32 +0000

You have a large video on your phone. You need it on your laptop.

You don’t need a shared drive, another account, or a permanently stored copy. You just need the file on the other device.

That’s the problem I’m working on with ButterShare: a free, browser-based file transfer tool built around peer-to-peer sharing.

I’m the developer behind it. Here’s what it does, why I chose this approach, and the tradeoffs worth understanding.

What is ButterShare?

ButterShare lets you send files between devices through a web browser, without signing up or installing an app.

The main features are:

Browser-to-browser file transfers using WebRTC.
No product-imposed file-size cap.
No cloud storage of your transferred files.
Sharing through a link or QR code.
No compression of the files you send.
Support for cross-platform workflows using compatible browsers.

The important distinction: this is a live transfer, not an upload-and-download-later service. Both devices need to stay connected until the transfer finishes.

How to transfer files with ButterShare

The workflow is straightforward:

Open ButterShare on the sending device.
Select the files you want to share.
Share the generated link or let the recipient scan the QR code.
Open the link on the receiving device and connect.
Keep both browser tabs open until the transfer completes.

You don’t need to create an account for a one-time transfer.

This is useful when moving photos to another device, sharing a screen recording, or sending an exported video to someone who is available to receive it.

Why use WebRTC for file transfer?

WebRTC is often associated with video calls, but its data channels can carry binary data too.

An RTCDataChannel lets browsers exchange data over a peer connection. Data channels use DTLS encryption, and their APIs expose buffering information that applications can use to manage outgoing data.

For developers exploring the underlying technology, MDN’s guide to WebRTC data channels is a useful starting point.

Large-file transfers also involve practical engineering decisions: splitting files into manageable chunks, controlling how much data is queued, and handling the receiving browser’s storage and memory constraints.

That’s why “no product-imposed file-size cap” shouldn’t be confused with “every browser can handle an arbitrarily large file under any conditions.”

No cloud storage does not mean no infrastructure

These are different claims.

A browser-to-browser application can still need infrastructure to help devices discover and connect to each other. Depending on a WebRTC application's configuration and network conditions, connectivity may also involve relay servers.

Temporarily relaying encrypted traffic is different from storing a file for someone to download later.

ButterShare’s file-sharing model is about live delivery without maintaining a cloud-stored copy—not about pretending that networking infrastructure disappears.

When browser-based file sharing makes sense

Moving files between different operating systems

If you’re looking for a browser-based alternative to an AirDrop-style workflow, ButterShare is designed for sharing across devices such as Windows PCs, Macs, Android phones, iPhones, and iPads.

It does not use Apple’s AirDrop protocol. Both devices connect through their browsers instead.

Sending videos without compression

Sometimes you need to send the original exported video, not a smaller version.

ButterShare transfers the selected file without deliberately re-encoding it. That makes it useful when preserving the original file matters.

Sharing files without creating accounts

A quick handoff shouldn’t always require inviting someone into a shared workspace.

A link-based session is useful when both people are already online and just need to exchange files.

The limitations are important

Peer-to-peer transfer is not the right answer for every situation.

Keep these constraints in mind:

Both devices must remain connected. Closing a tab, putting a device to sleep, or losing connectivity can interrupt the transfer.
Speed depends on the connection. Your network, the recipient’s network, and the connection path all matter.
Browser behavior matters. Mobile background restrictions and available memory or storage can affect large transfers.
There is no stored copy waiting for an offline recipient. If someone needs to download tomorrow after you disconnect, a cloud-based transfer service is a better fit.

I don’t want to market this as a replacement for every file-sharing workflow. It solves a specific one: moving files between people or devices that can connect at the same time.

Try it and tell me what breaks

ButterShare’s live file-transfer tool is free to use.

If you try it, I’d appreciate concrete feedback:

Which devices and browsers did you use?
What size and type of file did you transfer?
Did the connection work on the first attempt?
Was anything confusing about sending or receiving?

Please don’t include private filenames or sharing links in your feedback.

Try ButterShare →

What’s the most frustrating part of transferring files between your devices?

5 Tools for Developers to Grow Their Social Presence

Anirban Roy — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 05:11:22 +0000

Having the appropriate too
ls at your disposal may make all the difference in the fast-paced world of social media marketing when it comes to expanding your online presence, interacting with your audience, and producing results. Utilizing the potential of these five vital tools will help you advance your social media management career, regardless of experience level.

1. Canva

Having the appropriate tools at your disposal may make all the difference in the fast-paced world of social media marketing when it comes to expanding your online presence, interacting with your audience, and producing results. Utilizing the potential of these five vital tools will help you advance your social media management career, regardless of experience level.

2. Buffer

A social media management application called Buffer makes it easier to plan, publish, and analyze your content on several social media networks. You can maximize your reach and maintain a consistent posting schedule by planning and scheduling your content ahead of time with Buffer. You may optimize your social media strategy by tracking the effectiveness of your postings, analyzing important indicators, and making data-driven decisions using its user-friendly dashboard.

3. Hootsuite

Another well-known social media management tool is Hootsuite, which provides an extensive toolkit for planning, keeping track of, and evaluating your social media activities. With Hootsuite, you can automate scheduling to optimize your workflow, monitor discussions and mentions in real-time, and manage various social media accounts from a single dashboard. Regardless of your role in a larger marketing team or as a solopreneur, Hootsuite gives you the tools you need to remain productive, efficient, and organized on social media.

4. Moiful

For developers and designers who want to quickly and easily make beautiful screenshots and social media photographs, Moiful is an essential tool. Moiful's user-friendly interface and adaptable template options let you present your projects, application interfaces, or code snippets in an eye-catching manner. When it comes to promoting a blog post, revealing a new feature, or reporting a development milestone, Moiful assists you in producing eye-catching graphics that will grab the attention of your audience and improve your online visibility.

5. BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is a potent tool for social media analytics and content discovery that enables you to track hot topics, evaluate the performance of competitors, and find information to guide your content strategy. BuzzSumo allows you to track the performance of your content in real-time, keep an eye on mentions of your brand or keywords, and find the most shared material across social media platforms. Using BuzzSumo's data-driven insights, you can expand your audience, provide content that is more engaging, and encourage genuine social media interaction.

Conclusion

Having the appropriate tools is crucial for expanding your social media presence, interacting with your audience, and producing results in the cutthroat world of today. These five indispensable tools—Canva, Buffer, Hootsuite, Moiful, and BuzzSumo—can benefit solopreneurs, small business owners, and members of bigger marketing teams alike by streamlining workflows, maximizing strategies, and helping you accomplish social media objectives. Add these resources to your arsenal right now, and you'll see a dramatic increase in your social media presence.

DEV Community: Anirban Roy