I built a browser-based P2P file transfer tool using WebRTC

I built a browser-based P2P file transfer tool using WebRTC(airdows.com)

32 points by SamOkampo 12 hours ago | 15 comments

KlamKing 2 hours ago |

I love this idea.

But i just tried it in zen browser on fedora 44 and the system hard locked up. I guess I could try chromium next time.

https://gist.github.com/SMUsamaShah/fd6e275e44009b72f64d0570... I keep a handy list. Does this stream file directly to disc or keep it in browser cache or memory? In this list I think only web wormhole does that which means it should be able to transfer huge files without any problem. Most tools crash if files are in GBs.

jschveibinz 12 hours ago |

You have some web page material in English, and some material in either Spanish or Portuguese. You might want to check everything twice before posting on HN.

doodlebugging 9 hours ago | |

Not the poster but I had to go check the website to see this. I believe it is in Spanish. It makes me pretty happy to realize that even though I have had little or no conversations with Spanish speakers for about 30 years I was able to understand the untranslated text. There is so much that clicked once I had the context through the words that I recognized. The rest of it began to make sense.

Thanks for that mental exercise.

SamOkampo 8 hours ago | | |

that's genuinely nice to hear. Thanks for taking the time to explore it despite the language mismatch, a consistent English version is coming

SamOkampo 8 hours ago | |

you're right, AirDows started as a Spanish first beta, and some pages are not fully localized yet, i'm fixing the language consistency before the next round of promotion thanks for pointing it out

mkayokay 8 hours ago |

I guess this sort of tool provides a good learning experience for developers or implementing one scratches some other itch, because there are so many one here:

<https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&query=peer%20file%20sh...>

imarkphillips 8 hours ago |

Looks great. How long until it does P2P via Bluetooth?

Like Bump did before it was shut down by Google.

SamOkampo 8 hours ago | |

Thanks, bluetooth-based file transfer is not reliable enough across modern web browsers, especially on iOS, i may explore Bluetooth for nearby device discovery in a future native companion, while keeping WebRTC as the actual transfer channel

Uptrenda 7 hours ago |

Does anyone know what the actual success rates for webRTC are for like different NAT combinations / nodes in the wild? I'd be curious, I have read a little into it myself but didn't get the feeling it was very flexible compared to something like Tailscale.

Uptrenda 8 hours ago |

Hi, I built a plugin-based P2P socket system from scratch that supports TCP punch, UDP punch, random probe, TURN, and other such systems. It includes a full stack from networking, signalling, and naming, all based on open infrastructure. It's open source and licensed under MIT:

warpgate.io

ranger_danger 9 hours ago |

What happens when TURN is inevitably needed? Many people are behind something like CG or symmetrical NAT with no direct way to talk to each other.

There are no reliable, fast AND free TURN servers (IMO), and even semi-private relays can quickly become overwhelmed or too costly to operate.

jarym 8 hours ago | |

Bandwidth costs money not to mention if it was truly free it would probably be an abuse vector. Cloudflare offer 1000Gb free per month - https://www.cloudflare.com/products/turn-sfu/ and pricing beyond that isn't bad either.

SamOkampo 8 hours ago | |

thats one of the main operational challenges. AirDows attempts a direct connection first and only uses TURN when NAT conditions require it. I'm already measuring relay usage and evaluating sustainable TURN providers and limits while keeping the beta free...

SamOkampo 12 hours ago |

Hi HN,

I built AirDows, a browser-based tool for transferring files between devices using WebRTC.

The idea is simple: open AirDows on two devices, connect them using a QR code or temporary PIN, and send files without creating an account or uploading them for later download.

AirDows attempts a direct peer-to-peer connection first. If the networks cannot establish a direct route, it uses an encrypted TURN relay. The files are not stored by AirDows.

It currently supports:

- Transfers across different networks - QR code and temporary PIN pairing - Direct-to-disk writing in supported browsers - Compatibility mode for other browsers - Large-file transfers - Transfer queues, cancellation, and resume support - PWA installation

It is an early free beta, so both devices need to remain active and performance depends on the browsers and network route.

I would appreciate honest feedback on reliability, privacy, the pairing flow, and large-file transfers.