PairDrop

Judgement

What it is

Complete system

What it does

A web app for sending files peer-to-peer between devices in a browser over WebRTC, on the local network or via paired devices and temporary rooms over the internet.

Adopt it when

You want AirDrop-like sharing that needs nothing installed, using pairdrop.net or your own instance.

Watch out

Internet transfers rely on a TURN server you must run or trust, and large files depend on browser memory limits.

Ready for

Production-ready

Runs as

Cloud service and self-hosted server

Built with

JavaScript, Node.js, Express and WebRTC

How established

Established: started 3 years ago, latest release v1.11.2.

What the license allows

Use inside your business is unrestricted, but anything you distribute that includes it must be released under the same license.

Judged on 2026-11-03 from the project's README and GitHub data. The license and age lines are worked out directly.

Built from

Follow it down: PairDrop → V8 → LLVM project → runs on a microchip

How compilers were built, back to punched paper tape

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