09/11/2022
FileDuck is a new website offering free, unlimited, private file transfers currently in beta testing.
We are primarily aimed at users (business or individual) where faster download/upload speeds and large file size transfers are major priorities or requirements. But all file sizes matter, so whether big or small, you can share privately and securely for free.
FileDuck works directly between the sender and recipient (machine to machine) removing the need to upload to, and download from a third party server. This allows it to be faster than current file transfer websites and offers greater security and privacy. File sizes are completely unlimited so you can send as much as you want without any subscription plans. FileDuck also offers file resume so you do not have to start downloading/uploading again if your Internet connection drops.
To achieve these benefits simply leave the FileDuck tab open once you’ve sent your files. The recipient(s) will receive an email link which once opened begins the transfer. This ensures the highest transfer speeds and privacy. FileDuck never see or store the files.Currently we are only testing the desktop version. It will not be functional on mobile devices.
We are primarily interested in testing it technically so the user interface looks similar to other file transfer websites and therefore should be as easy to use as possible. We have already been testing over the last month and the response has been very positive. It has enabled us to identify bugs and provided very useful feedback and ideas for future iterations. We hope this will continue as the beta testing progresses.
Technical Information:
FileDuck uses a variety of open source web technologies to provide it’s service. Peer identification and data transmission uses WebRTC. For a more detailed technical exploration see here: https://webrtc.org/
All data transmitted by FileDuck is encrypted and the system has been designed with security and privacy in mind. There is always room for improvement with regards to security and any help in identifying unknown attack vectors is always greatly appreciated.
In order to ensure file transfer across web sessions and to facilitate features like file resume FileDuck also uses the open source database IndexedDB. For more detail see here:https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/IndexedDB_API
This database runs in the background of your web browser and FileDuck uses it as a local cache for the files it is transferring. This data is only ever accessible by you using the browser on your computer. When the transfer is complete the cache is flushed and the data removed. The same is happening at the receiving end.
It is not (should not be) possible for a web client to gain unrestricted access to the host file system. FileDuck never tries to do this and using FileDuck does not enable others to try. The final download is streamed to the default downloads directory of the system using the same mechanism that all file downloads from the web use.
If FileDuck is something that could benefit you and/or your business please try us out. Hopefully you will find it a valuable tool. We are not requesting feedback but if there is anything you feel that could be improved or if you encounter any problems please get in touch.
Visit us at: www.fileduck.com
