Shareit CLI

Shareit CLI is a local network file transfer tool for Node.js. It helps you send a file or folder from one machine to another on the same Wi-Fi or LAN.

How it works

1. The sender resolves the input path and checks file system metadata.
2. If the input is a directory, the sender creates a temporary ZIP archive in the OS temp directory using archiver.
3. The sender starts an HTTP server on 0.0.0.0:5000 with two endpoints:
   • GET /meta returns JSON metadata (name, size, mtimeMs).
   • GET /download streams file bytes and supports HTTP range requests.
4. The sender opens a UDP socket and broadcasts discovery packets every 2 seconds on port 41234.
   • Packet format: FILE_SERVER:<sender-ip>:5000.
   • Broadcast target: 255.255.255.255:41234.
5. The receiver binds to UDP 41234, waits for the first valid discovery packet, then stops listening.
6. The receiver fetches /meta and prepares a unique local output name to avoid overwrite collisions.
7. The receiver downloads from /download using streamed HTTP responses.
   • On interruption, it retries up to 5 times.
   • If partial data exists, it sends Range: bytes=<offset>- to resume.
   • If resume is not accepted by the sender, it restarts the transfer from byte 0.
8. On completion, the receiver renames <filename>.part to the final filename.
9. When a receiver connects to /download, the sender stops UDP broadcasting.
10. On sender shutdown, temporary ZIP artifacts are removed.

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• Both devices must be on the same network
• Firewall must allow:
  • UDP 41234
  • TCP 5000

Install

npm install

Optional global command for local development:

npm link

Then run with:

shareit

Without linking globally, run with:

node index.js

Usage

Start the app on both devices:

node index.js

You will see a prompt:

Type <send> to send files and <recieve> to recieve files

Send

1. On the sender machine, type send.
2. Enter a file path or folder path.
3. Keep the sender process running.

Receive

1. On the receiver machine, type recieve.
2. Wait for discovery and download.
3. The file is saved in the current working directory.

If a file with the same name already exists, a new name like name(1).ext is used.

Notes

• Current prompt keywords are send and recieve.
• Folder transfer is sent as a .zip file.
• Temporary zip files are cleaned up when sender exits.