Common questions about Nexo Share installation, configuration, and usage.

General Questions

Nexo Share is a self-hosted WeTransfer alternative: private file sharing on your infrastructure, with Reverse Shares, password-protected transfers, expiration, ClamAV scanning, 2FA (admins can require it), passkeys, and optional OIDC SSO.

Pingvin Share was archived due to different priorities being set. Nexo Share rebuilds the concept with:

Modern, maintained dependencies
Enhanced HTML email templates
Active development and support
Production-ready security features

Pingvin Share was still amazing and I have a lot of respect for the choices that are made by the developers.

Yes. You can run Nexo Share yourself at no charge. There are no paid tiers or premium feature gates in the software.

What’s the license?

Nexo Share is source-available under the MIT License with the Commons Clause. You can view and modify the code for personal and internal use. You may not sell Nexo Share as a competing hosted service. See the GitHub repository for the full license text.

Yes, for internal use within your organization (for example, sharing files with customers or partners from your own server). You may not sell the platform itself as a SaaS/file-transfer product. Check the Commons Clause terms for specifics.

Technical Questions

What are the system requirements?

Minimum:

1 CPU core
4 GB RAM
20 GB storage
Docker 20.10+
Docker Compose 2.0+

Recommended:

2+ CPU cores
8 GB RAM
100+ GB SSD storage

Not officially tested. The Docker images are built for AMD64/x86_64 architecture. ARM support may work but is not guaranteed.

Yes, using Docker Desktop for Windows or WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux). Linux is recommended for production.

What databases are supported?

Only PostgreSQL is supported. The application is designed specifically for PostgreSQL 17 (but every version of PostgreSQL 13+ will probably work).

Can I use MySQL or MariaDB?

No, Nexo Share requires PostgreSQL-specific features.

What’s the maximum file size?

Technical limit: No hard limit (chunked uploads)
Practical limit: Configure in Settings → System
Default: 10 GB per share

Large files (100+ GB) are supported but may require longer upload times and adequate disk space.

Nexo Share is designed for small to medium organizations (10-1000 users). Performance depends on:

Hardware resources
Concurrent uploads
File sizes
Network bandwidth

No hard user limit exists.

No, Nexo Share is designed as a single-instance application. Horizontal scaling (multiple containers) is not supported.

Installation & Setup

Can I install without Docker?

Not recommended. The official installation method is Docker-only. Manual installation would require:

Bun
PostgreSQL 13+
ClamAV daemon
Significant configuration effort

Do I need a domain name?

For testing: No, localhost works fine.
For production: Yes, a domain is strongly recommended for:

HTTPS/SSL certificates (Let’s Encrypt)
Email notifications (links in emails)
Professional appearance

It is a requirement if you want to make it accessible outside of your LAN network!

Can I use a subdomain?

Yes, Nexo Share works perfectly on subdomains like share.company.com or files.company.com.

How do I enable HTTPS?

Use a reverse proxy (Nginx, Traefik, Caddy) with Let’s Encrypt. See Production Deployment guide for detailed instructions.

Can I use Cloudflare?

Yes, but on a free tier:

Set chunk size to 100 MB or less (Cloudflare limit)
Consider disabling proxy (orange cloud OFF) for large files (even though lowering the chunk size below 100 MB should work so that you don’t have to do this)
Ensure correct proxy headers are passed

NOTE: that Cloudflare doesn’t like big files being send through their network, and they have every right to shut it down.

Yes! The setup wizard only appears on first installation. Complete it to:

Set application name and branding
Configure SMTP (optional)
Create your admin account

You can re-run it later from Settings if needed.

What are the default credentials?

Initial install: Setup wizard creates your first admin account.

If you see auto-created admin: [email protected] / admin123 (change immediately!)

Features & Usage

Downloading: Yes, anyone with the share link can download (no account needed).

Uploading: No, you need an account to create shares. However, reverse shares allow guests to upload without accounts.

What’s the difference between shares and reverse shares?

Normal Share: You upload files → others download
Reverse Share: You create upload link → others upload to you

Reverse shares are perfect for collecting files from clients/partners.

Can I track who downloaded my files?

Not individually. Nexo Share tracks:

Total download count per share
IP addresses in audit logs (admin only)

Individual user tracking is not supported by design (privacy).

Can I set download limits?

Yes! When creating a share, set Max Downloads to limit how many times files can be downloaded. After the limit is reached, the share becomes unavailable.

Do files expire automatically?

Yes, if you set an expiration date. Expired shares are:

Automatically deleted (files + database records)
Cleaned up by cron job (runs every hour)

Set expiration to “Never” for permanent shares.

Yes! Go to My Shares → Click share → Edit:

Change name
Add/remove files
Change password
Extend expiration date
Change download limit

Immediately deleted:

All files in the share
Database records
Share link becomes invalid

Cannot be recovered unless you have backups.

Can recipients see my email address?

Yes, if you add it to the Message field or send via email notifications.

Privacy tip: Use a generic email like [email protected] for automated notifications.

Can I send shares to multiple people?

Yes! Enter email addresses separated by commas:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Each recipient gets a personalized email.

Are emails sent immediately?

Yes, emails are sent immediately after upload completes. If SMTP is not configured, no emails are sent (share link is still created).

Security Questions

Nexo Share is built with security best practices:

HTTPS/TLS encryption
Password hashing (bcrypt)
Two-factor authentication
Virus scanning (ClamAV)
Rate limiting
Input validation
Security headers
Audit logging

See Security documentation for full details.

Do I need antivirus scanning?

Highly recommended for production. ClamAV is included and enabled by default.

Can disable if:

Testing/development only
All users are trusted
System has < 4 GB RAM (ClamAV won’t run)

Are files encrypted?

In transit: Yes (HTTPS)
At rest: No (files stored as-is)

For encryption at rest, enable filesystem-level encryption:

LUKS (Linux)
dm-crypt
Hardware-encrypted drives

Can admins see my files?

Yes, admins have full system access including:

All uploaded files
All user accounts
Audit logs

Trust model: Nexo Share is designed for organizations where admins are trusted. For zero-knowledge sharing, use end-to-end encrypted services.

What happens if I forget my password?

Click Forgot Password on login page
Enter your email address
Receive reset link (valid 1 hour)
Set new password

Requires: SMTP configured

Backup method: Admin can reset your password manually.

Is two-factor authentication mandatory?

Only if admin enables Require 2FA in settings. Otherwise, it’s optional.

Recommendation: Enable 2FA for all admin accounts at minimum.

What if I lose my 2FA device?

Use backup codes provided during 2FA setup. Each code works once.

No backup codes? Contact your admin to reset 2FA.

Yes! Enable Passkeys for:

Face ID (iPhone/iPad)
Touch ID (Mac)
Windows Hello (PC)
Fingerprint (Android)
Hardware keys (YubiKey, etc.)
Password managers (Bitwarden and 1Password)

Configuration Questions

Where is configuration stored?

Database: Most settings (system config, users)
Environment: Secrets (passwords, JWT secret)
Files: Uploaded files, logos, favicons

Can I change the upload limit?

Yes, admins can change in Settings → System → Max File Size.

Applies to all shares created after the change.

Can I customize email templates?

Not through the UI. Email templates are hardcoded in the application.

Workaround: Modify source code and rebuild Docker image (advanced).

Can I add my company logo?

Yes! Settings → General → Upload Logo

Supported formats: PNG, JPG, GIF, SVG (max 5 MB)

Logo appears in:

Navigation bar
Email templates
Share pages

Can I change the application name?

Yes, Settings → General → Application Name

Appears in:

Browser tab title
Email templates
Login page

How do I integrate with Active Directory?

Use SSO (Single Sign-On) with an OIDC provider like:

Authentik (can connect to AD/LDAP)
Keycloak
Azure AD

Direct AD/LDAP integration is not built-in.

Troubleshooting

Why are uploads failing?

Common causes:

File too large: Check Settings → System → Max File Size
Disk full: Check df -h
ClamAV offline: Check docker compose logs clamav
Chunk size too large: Reduce to 50 MB or less (larger can be slower)

See Troubleshooting guide for detailed solutions.

Why aren’t emails sending?

Common causes:

SMTP not configured: Settings → SMTP
Wrong credentials: Test with Test Connection button
Firewall blocking: Check port 587/465 is open
ISP blocks SMTP: Use authenticated SMTP (Office 365, Gmail)

ClamAV uses too much RAM - what can I do?

Options:

Add more RAM (ClamAV needs ~2 GB)
Disable enforcement: Settings → System → Uncheck “Enforce Virus Scan”
Disable completely: Remove clamav service from docker-compose.yml (not recommended)

How do I reset admin password?

Using CLI (access to server required):

docker compose exec Nexo Share node cli.js reset-password [email protected] NewPassword123

Or use Password Reset feature if SMTP is configured.

No automated migration exists. Manual migration would require:

Exporting Pingvin database
Converting to Nexo Share schema
Copying uploaded files
Reconfiguring settings

Contact project maintainer if you need migration assistance.

Performance

How can I speed up uploads?

Check chunk size: Settings → System → Chunk Size (ideal 25-50 MB).

[!NOTE] Larger is not always faster. Very large chunks (up to 100 MB) can be slower due to processing overhead.
Use SSD storage: Faster disk I/O
Disable unnecessary compression: Settings → System → Compression Level = 0
Ensure good network: Check bandwidth between client and server

Why are large files slow to download?

ZIP generation takes time for large files. Consider:

Individual file downloads (faster)
Increase server CPU
Disable compression for media files

Application is slow/unresponsive

Check:

docker stats  # Resource usage
docker compose logs nexoshare  # Errors

Common solutions:

Restart containers: docker compose restart
Increase memory limits
Clean old shares/files

Backup & Recovery

How often should I backup?

Recommendation:

Daily: Database backups (small, fast)
Weekly: Full backups (database + files)
Monthly: Test restore procedure

What if I lose my data?

With backups: Restore from backup (see Backup & Restore guide)

Without backups: Data is unrecoverable. There is no “undo” feature.

Always maintain backups for production systems.

Can I automate backups?

Yes! Use the provided backup script with cron. See Backup & Restore guide for automated backup setup.

Licensing & Support

Where can I get help?

Documentation: Read all docs sections
GitHub Issues: Search existing issues
New Issue: Create detailed bug report/feature request

Can I contribute?

Yes! Contributions are welcome:

Bug fixes
Feature additions
Documentation improvements
Translations

See CONTRIBUTING.md in GitHub repository.

Is commercial support available?

Not officially. Nexo Share is a community project.

For enterprise support needs, consider:

Hiring a contractor familiar with Node.js/Docker
Self-support with comprehensive documentation
Community forums (if available)

Can I request features?

Yes! Open a feature request on GitHub Issues.

No guarantee features will be implemented, but suggestions are always welcome.

How do I report bugs?

Open an issue on GitHub with:

Nexo Share version
Docker version
Steps to reproduce
Expected vs actual behavior
Relevant logs

Security bugs: Report privately (see Security docs).

Migration & Compatibility

Can I run multiple instances?

Yes, but on different ports/domains. Each instance needs:

Separate database
Separate upload folder
Unique JWT secret

Can I change the database password?

Yes, but requires updating in two places:

PostgreSQL environment variable
Nexo Share environment variable

Then restart: docker compose down && docker compose up -d

Is there a mobile app?

No native mobile app. Use the responsive web interface which works well on phones/tablets.

Can I integrate with other tools?

Via API (see API Reference). Integrations possible:

Zapier/Make.com workflows
Custom automation scripts
Third-party file managers

Partially. The APP_LOCALE setting controls:

Date/time formatting
Number formatting

UI text is English-only currently. Translation contributions welcome!

Still Have Questions?

Check the other documentation sections
Search GitHub issues: https://github.com/Minemap-NL/Nexoshare/issues
Create new GitHub issue with your question: https://github.com/Minemap-NL/Nexoshare/issues/new

Most questions are answered in:

Installation guide
Configuration guide
Troubleshooting guide
Security documentation

Frequently Asked Questions