Fileship

Fileship

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Windows

Fileship runs on Windows in two ways:

  • With Docker: Docker Desktop on WSL 2 runs the same stack as Linux, with one-click updates. Recommended.
  • Without Docker: Node.js and PostgreSQL installed on Windows, run as a service.

Looking for the app that captures and uploads screenshots? That is Fileship for Windows; this page is about running the server.

Commands are for PowerShell. Run the ones marked as administrator in a PowerShell window opened with Run as administrator.

With Docker

1. Install WSL 2 and Docker Desktop

As administrator:

powershell
wsl --install

Restart Windows when it asks. Then install Docker Desktop and Git:

powershell
winget install -e --id Docker.DockerDesktop
winget install -e --id Git.Git

Start Docker Desktop and finish its setup. It uses the WSL 2 engine by default (Settings → General → Use the WSL 2 based engine). Check that it works in a new PowerShell window:

powershell
docker version
docker compose version

2. Clone Fileship

Pick a folder for Fileship. Its data folder will hold your files, so choose a drive with enough space:

powershell
cd C:\
git clone https://github.com/hanzydev/Fileship.git
cd C:\Fileship

Git for Windows may convert line endings to CRLF when it checks out files. Docker and Fileship read both, so this is harmless.

3. Generate the updater secret

Windows has no openssl command, so generate the secret with PowerShell. This works in Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7:

powershell
$bytes = New-Object byte[] 32
[Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator]::Create().GetBytes($bytes)
$hex = -join ($bytes | ForEach-Object { $_.ToString('x2') })
"SECRET_TOKEN=$hex" | Set-Content -Encoding ascii .env

-Encoding ascii matters: Windows PowerShell writes UTF-16 by default, which Docker Compose cannot read.

4. Start Fileship

powershell
docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:3000 and log in with admin / password, then follow First steps. Your files are in C:\Fileship\data, the database in the pg_data Docker volume.

Reach it from other devices

Docker Desktop forwards port 3000 to Windows. To open it to your network, allow it in the firewall (as administrator):

powershell
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Fileship" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 3000 -Action Allow

For a domain and HTTPS, run a reverse proxy on Windows that sends requests to 127.0.0.1:3000: Caddy for Windows or IIS.

Start with Windows

Containers start again whenever Docker Desktop starts (restart: unless-stopped). In Docker Desktop, turn on Settings → General → Start Docker Desktop when you sign in to your computer.

Updates

One-click and scheduled updates work the same as on Linux (see Updating). The updater agent finds the Compose project through Docker Desktop's path for Windows drives (/run/desktop/mnt/host/<drive>/…), so the clone can live on any drive.

Without Docker

You build Fileship from source and run it with Node.js, like the Linux guide. You give up the same things: one-click updates, updates without downtime, automatic PostgreSQL upgrades and the built-in proxy.

1. Install Node.js, Git and PostgreSQL

Fileship needs Node.js 24. As administrator:

powershell
winget install -e --id OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS --version 24.22.1
winget install -e --id Git.Git
winget install -e --id PostgreSQL.PostgreSQL.18

Use the newest 24.x that winget show --id OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS --versions lists. You can also download the Node.js 24 installer from nodejs.org; if it offers Tools for Native Modules, tick it.

The PostgreSQL installer asks for a password for the postgres superuser and installs the postgresql-x64-18 service, which starts with Windows. If winget installs it without asking, set the password with the installer from postgresql.org instead.

Then turn on pnpm (as administrator), and open a new PowerShell window so the new commands are found:

powershell
npm install -g corepack@latest
corepack enable

2. Create a database

powershell
& "C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\18\bin\psql.exe" -U postgres -c "CREATE USER fileship WITH PASSWORD 'change-me';"
& "C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\18\bin\psql.exe" -U postgres -c "CREATE DATABASE fileship OWNER fileship;"

psql asks for the postgres password you chose in the installer.

3. Get the code and configure it

powershell
cd C:\
git clone https://github.com/hanzydev/Fileship.git
cd C:\Fileship
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force C:\FileshipData

Create C:\Fileship\apps\dashboard\.env:

powershell
@"
DATABASE_URL=postgres://fileship:change-me@localhost:5432/fileship
NUXT_DATA_DIRECTORY=C:/FileshipData
HOST=127.0.0.1
PORT=3000
NITRO_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT=25000
"@ | Set-Content -Encoding ascii C:\Fileship\apps\dashboard\.env

Write the data directory with forward slashes and as an absolute path. Use HOST=0.0.0.0 to reach Fileship from other devices without a proxy.

4. Build

powershell
cd C:\Fileship
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --filter dashboard... --os=current --cpu=current
pnpm --filter dashboard... build

5. Create the tables and start

powershell
cd C:\Fileship\apps\dashboard
node node_modules\prisma\build\index.js migrate deploy
node --env-file=.env -r ./scripts/fixPrisma.js .output/server/index.mjs

Open http://localhost:3000 and log in with admin / password. Stop it with Ctrl+C.

6. Run it as a service

Create C:\Fileship\start.cmd, which applies new migrations and then starts Fileship:

bat
@echo off
cd /d C:\Fileship\apps\dashboard
node node_modules\prisma\build\index.js migrate deploy || exit /b 1
node --env-file=.env -r ./scripts/fixPrisma.js .output/server/index.mjs

Install it as a service with NSSM (as administrator):

powershell
winget install -e --id NSSM.NSSM
nssm install Fileship C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe "/c C:\Fileship\start.cmd"
nssm set Fileship AppDirectory C:\Fileship\apps\dashboard
nssm set Fileship AppStdout C:\FileshipData\fileship.log
nssm set Fileship AppStderr C:\FileshipData\fileship.log
nssm set Fileship DependOnService postgresql-x64-18
nssm start Fileship

The service runs as Local System and starts with Windows. nssm restart Fileship restarts it after an update, and nssm remove Fileship confirm removes it.

PM2 works too (pm2 start with the ecosystem file adjusted to Windows paths), but it needs an extra package such as pm2-windows-startup to start with Windows.

7. Put a proxy in front

Use Caddy for Windows or IIS, with 127.0.0.1:3000 as the target. Then follow First steps.

Updating

powershell
nssm stop Fileship
cd C:\Fileship
git pull
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --filter dashboard... --os=current --cpu=current
pnpm --filter dashboard... build
nssm start Fileship

start.cmd applies the new migrations. See Updating without Docker for what to check before an update.

What was tested