DropIt alternative - without nextcloud user login for upload and download

A very cool nextcloud app is “DropIt”. You can drop files and only copy the link and share to other users. But there is a nice alternative with standard nextcloud functions.

For sharing files once with other people without nextcloud login i created a small infrastructure. Perhaps someone like it.

I share a folder “Download” in nextcloud twice:

1.) https://cloud.domain.tld/index.php/s/e*********f"

  • public shared folder with upload or upload and modify

2.) https://cloud.server.tld/index.php/s/8******G

  • public shared folder only for download

Then i use on my webserver short names for keep the urls in mind.

/myupload/index.php (private link, easy to keep in mind)

<?php
header("HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently");
header("Location:  https://cloud.domain.tld/index.php/s/e*********f");
header("Connection: close");
?>

/download/index.php (public link, easy to keep in mind)

<?php
header("HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently");
header("Location:  https://cloud.server.tld/index.php/s/8******G");
header("Connection: close");
?>

It is also possible to use .htaccess (rewrite) for short urls in webserver root.

Now i can upload via every browser with https://server.tld/myupload and can refer for the download link https://server.tld/download . Also i can use a subdomain like download.server.tld .

DropIt App (not used in this example):
https://apps.nextcloud.com/apps/dropit

Another possible perhaps but with longer urls:
(cloud.server.tld/s/myupload and cloud.server.tld/s/download (not tested))
https://apps.nextcloud.com/apps/sharerenamer

1 Like

Having a public file drop with public shared folder with no login is pretty risky business.

Ok. Perhaps it is better not to use short links.