About Gokapi
Gokapi is a self-hosted tool for sharing files, presented as an alternative to Firefox Send. It is written in Go and runs on Linux, macOS and Windows or in a Docker container. Unlike many upload services, it does not allow public uploads: only registered users can add files, which keeps the instance under the owner's control.
Shares can expire automatically after a set number of downloads or days. A file request feature gives outside parties a link to upload files that only the link's creator can see. Other features include user management with roles, file deduplication so identical files use no extra space, built-in encryption including end-to-end encrypted uploads, a REST API for automation and a UI that can be customized with CSS and JavaScript.
Storage can be local or AWS S3, including S3-compatible services such as Backblaze B2. OpenID Connect support allows sign-in through providers like Authelia or Keycloak. The minimum requirements are modest, around one CPU core and a few hundred megabytes of memory, and a setup wizard runs on first launch. Gokapi is licensed under AGPL-3.0.
Key features
- Expiring file shares by downloads or days
- Upload restricted to registered users
- File requests for outside uploaders
- File deduplication to save space
- End-to-end encrypted uploads
- S3 and Backblaze B2 storage support
- OpenID Connect sign-in
- REST API for automation
Good fit for
- →Sending large files with automatic expiry
- →Receiving files from clients without exposing a public uploader
- Tags
- file-sharing
- self-hosted
- firefox-send
- go
- s3
- docker
- encryption
- file-upload
Gokapi: questions and answers
- What is Gokapi used for?
- Gokapi is a lightweight, self-hosted file sharing server in the spirit of Firefox Send, with expiring links, encryption and S3 storage support. It is a good fit for sending large files with automatic expiry and receiving files from clients without exposing a public uploader.
- Is Gokapi open source?
- Yes. Gokapi is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at Forceu/Gokapi and is written mainly in Go.
- Is Gokapi free?
- Yes. Gokapi is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
- Can I self-host Gokapi?
- Yes. Gokapi can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
- What is Gokapi an alternative to?
- Gokapi is an open-source alternative to WeTransfer, Send Anywhere, Smash and Filemail. Other open-source alternatives to WeTransfer include Plik, Sharry and FileShelter.
- Is Gokapi actively maintained?
- Yes. The most recent commit to Gokapi was on 12 September 2026, and the latest release is v2.2.4, published on 10 March 2026. The project has 2.9k stars on GitHub.
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