Copyparty on a Seedbox: Portable File Sharing

What Copyparty Is

Copyparty is a single-binary file server. Drop it on a folder and it gives you a web UI with uploads, media indexing, thumbnail generation, audio waveforms, and share links. The interface is minimal, fast, and works on phones without an app.

If Filebrowser is the simple "browser file manager," Copyparty is the file-sharing-focused cousin: more emphasis on upload portals, media browsing, and giving access to specific people.

Why Run It on a Seedbox?

Two main use cases:

• Quick file shares. Drop a file in, get a link, send it. The recipient hits a clean web UI without registering.
• Inbound uploads. Set up a folder anyone with the link can upload to. Useful for collecting submissions from a group.

Bytesized gives this:

• One-click install in the panel
• Public HTTPS URL ready to share
• 10 Gbit upload, big files transfer quickly
• Same panel as everything else
• EU servers in Luxembourg, France, and Netherlands

Installing Copyparty

Open the Bytesized Panel, find Copyparty in the app catalog, click install. The panel handles the install, the reverse proxy, and gives you a clean HTTPS URL.

The default URL has a per-user prefix; for jhoschak that's copyparty.jhoschak.<server>.bysh.me style.

Click "Open" to land on the dashboard.

First-Run Setup

Copyparty is config-file driven. The defaults work, but the most useful tweaks live in the config:

1. Set up volumes. A volume is a folder Copyparty exposes. Standard layout is your home directory; add per-purpose volumes (one for "share," one for "uploads," one for "media") if it suits you.
2. Set per-volume permissions. Read, write, delete, admin per user/group. The default is admin only.
3. Add users. Per-user passwords with their own permission set.

The byshlicer template ships with sane defaults; you can tweak the config file via the panel's editor.

Public Share Links

Right-click a file or folder > Share. Copyparty gives you a tokenised URL. Anyone with the URL can access the resource without logging in. Tokens are revocable from the share manager.

Inbound upload portals work the same way: create a folder, set its permission to "Anonymous Write," generate a share link, and anyone with that link can drop files in.

Media Browsing

Copyparty automatically generates thumbnails for images, video previews, and audio waveform displays. The browse UI groups media by date. It's a fine drop-in for "browse a folder of photos in a clean way" without setting up a full media app like PhotoPrism.

Common Gotchas

404 on URL with trailing slash. Some Copyparty builds have routing quirks with trailing slashes. The fix is upgrading to the latest version (Bytesized ships current).

Upload size limit. Browser-side limits cap really big files. For files >5 GB, SFTP or Rclone is more reliable.

Thumbnails not generating. ffmpeg path mismatch. The byshlicer install bundles ffmpeg; if you're seeing missing thumbs, check Copyparty's logs from the panel.

Permissions not applying. Config file changes need a Copyparty restart. Restart from the panel after editing the config.

FAQ

Is Copyparty free? Yes. Free and open source.

How is it different from Filebrowser? Filebrowser is a clean file manager. Copyparty is more sharing-focused with media indexing and inbound upload portals. Pick whichever interface you prefer; they don't need to coexist.

Can it serve a Plex or Jellyfin library? It can present the folder, but Plex and Jellyfin do real media management (metadata, transcoding, apps). Use Copyparty for sharing files, not as a media server.

Will it work for inbound submissions from someone without an account? Yes. Anonymous-write share link is the pattern.

Can I password-protect a share? Yes. Per-share passwords and expiry dates.

Ready to Set It Up?

Browse Appbox plans, install Copyparty from the panel, the URL is yours to share.