File Uncle (WIP)

file-uncle, an anywhere to anywhere file transfer utility using http.

Features

• Receive Files: Create a http server to Receive files from anywhere via http.
• Serve Files: Create a http file server to let anyone download the file from your system.

Installation

To install File Uncle, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/theadarshsaxena/file-uncle.git
2. Navigate to the project directory: cd file-uncle
3. Run the project: go run .

Usage

Prerequisite

1. You need to install file-uncle in one system

Case #1: file-uncle installed in system #1

• Install file-uncle in system #1
• Run file-uncle serve command to start a http server in system #1
  • Both system in same network

     file-uncle serve --host <IPOfServer#1>
    

  • System on different network (send via internet)

     file-uncle serve --with-ngrok
    

• Above command will return a link, which will open a http page in browser with a list of files to download.
• Note: To download the files from CLI (system #2), use wget after copying link for any file by opening first in browser.

Case #2: file-uncle installed in system #2

• Install file-uncle in system #2
• Run file-uncle receive command to start the http server, it starts the server at 8080 (by default) and it also provide a webUI to upload the files
  • Both system in same network

     file-uncle receive --host <IPOfServer#2>
     (or)
     file-uncle receive --host <IPOfServer#2> --user <username> --password <somepassword>
    

  • System on different network (send via internet)

     file-uncle receive --with-ngrok
     (or)
     file-uncle receive --with-ngrok --user <username> --password <somepassword>
    

• Now, from system #1, open the link given by above command in browser and upload the file
• Note: To send file from system #1 using CLI, follows the below steps:

Sending Files via CLI (curl)

In addition to this, if you want to send the files via CLI in remote system, you the following commands:

1. To upload a file to the server using curl:

   curl -F "uploadFile=@/path/to/your/file" http://localhost:8080/

2. If authentication is enabled:

   curl -u username:password -F "uploadFile=@/path/to/your/file" http://localhost:8080/

Encrypting and Decrypting Files

For better security when sending the file via tunnel, e.g., ngrok, prefer sending the encrypted file. You can encrypt a file before sending and decrypt it after receiving using OpenSSL (AES-256) as follows:

1. Encrypt before sending:

   openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -salt -in /path/to/your/file -out /path/to/your/file.enc -k yourpassword

2. Send the encrypted file:

   curl -F "uploadFile=@/path/to/your/file.enc" http://localhost:8080/

3. Decrypt after receiving:

   openssl enc -d -aes-256-cbc -in /path/to/received/file.enc -out /path/to/decrypted/file -k yourpassword

   Replace /path/to/your/file and yourpassword with your actual file path and password.

Using Ngrok for sending/receiving via internet

1. To expose your server to the internet, use the built-in ngrok integration:

   • Add the --with-ngrok flag to either the serve or receive command:

     ./file-uncle serve --with-ngrok
     ./file-uncle receive --with-ngrok

   • Set the following environment variables before running the command:
     • NGROK_AUTHTOKEN: Your ngrok authtoken (required for authentication)
   • The tunnel endpoint will be printed in the console when started.
   • When you stop the server with CTRL+C, the tunnel will be closed

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have any ideas, suggestions, or bug reports, please open an issue or submit a pull request. Make sure to follow our contribution guidelines.

Development

Building from Source

To build the project from source:

go build -o file-uncle ./cmd/file-uncle/main.go

Tailwind CSS

This project uses Tailwind CSS for styling. To regenerate the CSS:

# One-time build
npm run tailwind

# Watch mode for development
npm run tailwind:watch

The Tailwind configuration is defined in tailwind.config.js and scans the HTML files in internal/src/html/ for utility classes.

Releasing

This project uses GoReleaser to automate building and releasing binaries for multiple platforms. The configuration is in .goreleaser.yaml.

What GoReleaser Does:

• Pre-release Verification: Runs go mod tidy and tests before building
• Multi-platform Compilation: Builds binaries for:
  • Linux (amd64, arm64)
  • macOS/Darwin (amd64, arm64)
  • Windows (amd64)
• Optimization: Reduces binary size using optimized linker flags
• Checksums: Generates SHA256 checksums for all binaries
• Changelog Generation: Automatically generates changelogs from commits organized by type:
  • 🎯 Features (commits with feat:)
  • 🐛 Bug fixes (commits with fix:)
  • ⚡ Performance improvements (commits with perf:)
  • Others
• GitHub Releases: Publishes releases to GitHub with formatted notes and downloadable binaries

To Create a Release:

1. Tag a commit with a version number:

   git tag v1.0.0
   git push origin v1.0.0

2. GoReleaser will automatically trigger (if configured with GitHub Actions) or manually run:

   goreleaser release --clean

3. The release will be published to GitHub Releases with all built binaries.

Setting Up GitHub Actions for GoReleaser

The GitHub Actions workflow is configured in .github/workflows/goreleaser.yaml. Here's how to set it up:

Step 1: Ensure the Workflow File Exists

• The workflow file is already included in the repository at .github/workflows/goreleaser.yaml
• It automatically triggers when you push a git tag with version format v* (e.g., v1.0.0)

Step 2: Verify GitHub Token Permission

• Go to your GitHub repository settings
• Navigate to: Settings → Actions → General
• Under "Workflow permissions", select "Read and write permissions"
• This allows GitHub Actions to create releases

Step 3: Create and Push a Tag

# Create a local tag
git tag v1.0.0

# Push the tag to GitHub
git push origin v1.0.0

Step 4: Monitor the Workflow

• Go to your repository on GitHub
• Click on the Actions tab
• You'll see the "GoReleaser" workflow running
• Wait for it to complete (usually 2-5 minutes)

Step 5: Check the Release

• Once completed, go to Releases tab
• You'll see the new release with all built binaries and checksums

What the Workflow Does:

- Triggers: When you push a version tag (v1.0.0, v1.1.0, etc.)
- Checks out code with full git history
- Sets up Go environment
- Sets up Node.js for Tailwind CSS
- Builds CSS using npm
- Runs GoReleaser to build and publish binaries
- Automatically publishes release to GitHub

Troubleshooting:

Workflow not triggering?

• Make sure you're pushing tags: git push origin v1.0.0
• Tags must match the pattern v* (e.g., v1.0.0)
• Check Actions tab to see if workflow runs

Release not being created?

• Verify "Workflow permissions" are set to "Read and write"
• Check the workflow logs in the Actions tab for errors
• Ensure .goreleaser.yaml is configured correctly

Local Testing (Optional): If you want to test GoReleaser locally before pushing:

# Install GoReleaser
brew install goreleaser  # macOS
# or download from https://goreleaser.com/

# Create a dry-run (without publishing)
goreleaser release --skip=publish --clean

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.