File Browser Next

A modern, secure, next-generation web-based file manager.

---

File Browser Next is an actively maintained, modernized continuation of the original File Browser project. It provides a sleek file managing interface within a specified directory, allowing you to upload, delete, preview, and edit your files from any browser on desktop or mobile.

Official Documentation & Live Showcase: filebrowsernext.github.io/filebrowserNEXT

---

Security Resolutions

File Browser Next specifically resolves the critical security architecture issues previously documented in upstream File Browser:

1. Session & JWT Revocation (#5216 — Resolved)

• Persistent Server-Side Revocation Store: Implemented a dedicated BoltDB-backed revocation store with in-memory fast-lookup caching and automatic expired token cleanup.
• Dedicated Logout Endpoint (POST /api/logout): Calling logout instantly revokes the JWT server-side via its cryptographic jti and clears client authentication cookies.
• Targeted Session Invalidation: Every user account tracks an UpdatedAt timestamp. Only security-sensitive changes (password, permissions, username, scope, rules) invalidate existing sessions. Cosmetic preference updates (language, view mode, theme) no longer disconnect the user.
• Single-Use Token Renewal: When renewing an active session token, the previous token (jti) is immediately revoked, preventing token replay attacks.
• Strict Error Handling: Tokens referencing deleted users or invalid states now properly return 401 Unauthorized instead of internal server errors.

2. Command Runner & Execution Hardening (#5199 — Resolved)

• Strict Working Directory Confinement: Execution working directories are strictly confined within the user's isolated scope using canonical path traversal checks (filepath.Rel). Commands can never escape their designated filesystem boundary.
• Shell Metacharacter Sanitization: Non-admin executions strictly prohibit shell injection primitives (;, &, |, `, $, \n, >, <) via runner.HasDangerousShellMetachars().
• Safe Direct Binary Execution: Non-admin commands execute binaries directly without passing strings through an unconstrained shell interpreter.

3. Authentication Usability Bugs (Resolved)

• Case-Insensitive Login: Username lookup at login is now case-insensitive. Typing Admin or ADMIN correctly authenticates as admin, matching the behavior users expect.
• No Spurious Logouts on Preference Save: In the original codebase, saving any user preference (language, view mode, etc.) updated UpdatedAt and silently invalidated the active session, forcing a re-login. This is now fixed.

4. Brute Force Protection with Reverse-Proxy Awareness (New)

• Login Rate Limiting: POST /api/login is limited to 10 attempts per IP per 5-minute window. Exceeding the limit returns HTTP 429 Too Many Requests. Legitimate users connecting normally are never affected.
• Share Password Rate Limiting: Password attempts on protected public shares are limited to 10 per IP per share per 5-minute window.
• Secure Proxy-Aware IP Detection: The real client IP is resolved correctly whether the app is exposed directly or placed behind a reverse proxy (Cloudflare, Caddy, Nginx, Pangolin, etc.). Proxy headers (CF-Connecting-IP, X-Real-IP, X-Forwarded-For) are trusted only when the direct TCP connection comes from a private or loopback address (i.e. from a local proxy). When the app is accessed directly from the internet, these headers are ignored entirely — a public client cannot forge a fake IP to bypass rate limiting.

5. Hardened HTTP Security Headers (New)

All API and page responses now include the following headers in addition to Content-Security-Policy:

• X-Frame-Options: DENY — prevents clickjacking by blocking the app from being embedded in an <iframe> on a third-party page.
• X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff — prevents browsers from MIME-sniffing responses away from the declared content type.
• Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin — limits referrer information sent to third-party sites.
• Permissions-Policy: camera=(), microphone=(), geolocation=() — explicitly disables browser APIs that a file manager has no need for.

---

Modern UI & Experience

File Browser Next features a complete visual redesign:

• Modern Design System: Refreshed color tokens featuring an elegant indigo/slate theme, soft multi-layer box shadows, and 8px/12px/16px rounded borders.
• Glassmorphic Elements: Modern blur backdrops (backdrop-filter: blur(16px)) on top navigation bars, action bars, modals, and file selection docks.
• Redesigned Login Page: Card layout with ambient mesh gradients, improved form controls, and responsive styling.
• New Logo & Identity: A sleek vector emblem with vibrant indigo-to-cyan gradients.
• Responsive File Views: Polished grid cards, clean list rows, smooth hover elevations, and modern multi-selection pill docks.

---

Getting Started

Quick Install (Linux & macOS)

Run the automated install script:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FilebrowserNext/get/main/get.sh | bash

Once installed, start the server:

filebrowser -r /path/to/your/files

Access the web interface at http://127.0.0.1:8080.

Quick Install (Windows)

Run PowerShell as Administrator:

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FilebrowserNext/get/main/get.ps1 | iex

Once installed, launch from any terminal:

filebrowser -r C:\path\to\your\files

Homebrew (macOS)

brew install FilebrowserNext/tap/filebrowser

Running with Docker

File Browser Next runs as an ultra-lightweight standalone container (approx. 26 MB).

Docker Compose (Recommended)

services:
  filebrowser:
    image: ghcr.io/filebrowsernext/filebrowsernext:latest
    container_name: filebrowser
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - /path/to/your/files:/srv
      - /path/to/database:/database

Start the service:

docker compose up -d

Docker Run (Single Command)

docker run -d \
  --name filebrowser \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 8080:80 \
  -v /path/to/your/files:/srv \
  -v /path/to/database:/database \
  ghcr.io/filebrowsernext/filebrowsernext:latest

Running in the Background

Linux & macOS (Nohup)

nohup filebrowser -r /path/to/your/files > filebrowser.log 2>&1 &

Stop with: pkill filebrowser

Linux Service (Systemd)

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/filebrowser.service > /dev/null <<EOF
[Unit]
Description=File Browser Next
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/filebrowser -r /path/to/your/files
Restart=on-failure
User=nobody

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl enable --now filebrowser

Windows (PowerShell)

Start-Process filebrowser -ArgumentList "-r C:\path\to\your\files" -WindowStyle Hidden

Stop with: Stop-Process -Name filebrowser

Building from Source

Requirements:

• Go 1.23+
• Node.js 20+ & pnpm

# 1. Build the Frontend
cd frontend
pnpm install
pnpm run build
cd ..

# 2. Build the Go Binary (embeds frontend)
go build -o filebrowser .

---

Documentation

• General documentation on installation and configuration can be found in the docs directory.
• For development guidelines, see CONTRIBUTING.md.

---

License

Apache License 2.0 © File Browser Next Contributors & File Browser Authors.