The latest articles on DEV Community by Hasith Lakshan (@hasi98). https://dev.to/hasi98 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F1092693%2F2342f5e6-85cc-420c-8de8-2de5c5dd91d8.jpeg https://dev.to/hasi98 en Hasith Lakshan Sun, 15 Mar 2026 02:51:16 +0000 https://dev.to/hasi98/i-built-a-cloud-download-manager-in-30-days-as-a-student-heres-what-i-learned-10ec https://dev.to/hasi98/i-built-a-cloud-download-manager-in-30-days-as-a-student-heres-what-i-learned-10ec <p>A few weeks ago I was using Offcloud to download torrents to my Google drive. Then they cancelled all lifetime memberships overnight. No warning, <br> no refund option.</p> <p>So I built my own.</p> <h2> What is CloudPipe? </h2> <p>CloudPipe is a cloud download manager that fetches files on remote servers and sends them directly to your Google Drive. Paste any magnet link, torrent, or direct URL - it handles the rest.</p> <p>No files touch your device. Your IP stays hidden. Files land straight in YOUR Google Drive.</p> <h2> The Tech Stack </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Frontend:</strong> Next.js 14 (App Router) + Tailwind</li> <li> <strong>Auth + DB:</strong> Supabase</li> <li> <strong>Worker:</strong> Node.js + aria2c</li> <li> <strong>CDN/DDoS:</strong> Cloudflare</li> <li> <strong>Storage:</strong> Google Drive API</li> <li> <strong>Payments:</strong> Creem</li> <li> <strong>Hosting:</strong> OVH VPS + Oracle Cloud Free Tier</li> <li> <strong>Deploy:</strong> Netlify + GitHub Actions</li> </ul> <h2> The Architecture </h2> <p>The interesting part is the worker system.</p> <p>Each worker is a Node.js server running aria2c under the hood. When a job comes in:</p> <ol> <li>Worker picks up job from Supabase queue</li> <li>aria2c downloads the file to local storage</li> <li>Worker uploads to Google Drive via API</li> <li>Job marked complete, user notified</li> <li>Local file deleted after retention period</li> </ol> <p>Multiple workers run in parallel - currently OVH (8GB RAM, 400Mbps) and Oracle Cloud free tier.</p> <h2> Smart Job Routing </h2> <p>One thing I'm proud of - smart worker routing:</p> <ul> <li>Direct download jobs → OVH (400Mbps, fast!)</li> <li>Google Drive upload jobs → Oracle (speed doesn't matter, file goes to Drive not user)</li> </ul> <p>This maximizes both servers efficiently.</p> <h2> What I Learned </h2> <p><strong>1. Payments are hard outside US/EU</strong><br> Finding a payment processor that works in Sri Lanka took weeks. Stripe doesn't support Sri Lanka. Eventually found Creem - works perfectly.</p> <p><strong>2. aria2c is incredibly powerful</strong><br> Downloads magnet links, torrents, HTTP, FTP - anything with a URL. Free and blazing fast.</p> <p><strong>3. Oracle Cloud free tier is genuinely useful</strong><br> 2 AMD micro instances free forever. Perfect for worker nodes that don't need raw speed.</p> <p><strong>4. Ship fast, fix later</strong><br> I launched with basic features and got paying customers on day 1. Perfect is the enemy of done.</p> <h2> Results So Far </h2> <p>Launched 2 days ago with zero marketing budget:</p> <ul> <li>142 unique visitors</li> <li>First paying customer within 24 hours</li> <li>Users from USA, Netherlands, Singapore, Mexico</li> </ul> <h2> Try It </h2> <p>cloudpipe.app — free plan available, no credit card needed.</p> <p>Would love feedback from the dev community - especially on the architecture and security!</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fmr2637upv6px7vtz98t0.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fmr2637upv6px7vtz98t0.png" alt=" " width="800" height="387"></a></p> webdev javascript node showdev