Plik

Free plan APILinuxMacSelf-hostedWebWindows

What Plik is

Plik is a free, self-hosted temporary file-sharing platform with web, API, and command-line access. Its Vue 3 interface supports uploading, downloading, and managing files, while a cross-platform Go client adds archiving, encryption, and automatic updates. Storage can use local files, S3-compatible services, OpenStack Swift, or Google Cloud Storage; metadata can use SQLite, PostgreSQL, or MySQL. Authentication includes local accounts and providers such as Google, GitHub, OVH, and OpenID Connect. Uploads can expire after a configured period or delete after the first download. Optional age encryption runs client-side, leaving encrypted bytes on the server. Stream mode transfers data without persisting it to disk. Plik offers a JSON REST API, custom branding, third-party ShareX, .NET, and Thunderbird clients, and an MCP server in its CLI. Deployment options include binaries, Docker, packages, source builds, and Kubernetes Helm.

Who it suits

It suits teams or individuals able to host their own temporary file-sharing service across web, API, or CLI workflows. It supports varied storage, authentication, deployment, and client options.

What it does well

Self-hosted file sharing
Provides web, API, and CLI access
Supports multiple storage backends
Offers client-side age encryption
Configurable expiration and one-shot downloads

What to know first

Requires self-hosted deployment
Server MIME detection can misidentify Office files
No desktop app

Verdict

Plik combines temporary sharing, configurable storage, authentication, encryption, and deployment choices in a free self-hosted project. Its hosting responsibility and documented MIME-detection limitation should be considered first.

Facts from Plik's own pages

AI assistant integration: The CLI includes an MCP server for AI coding assistants, with tools to upload text and files and retrieve server information. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
API: Plik documents a REST API whose endpoints accept and return JSON unless otherwise noted. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
API access: Yes · root-gg.github.io, 23 Sept 2026
Authentication: Authentication options include local accounts and providers such as Google, GitHub, OVH, and OpenID Connect. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
CLI: Plik includes a cross-platform Go command-line client with archive, encryption, and auto-update support. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
CLI platforms: The CLI documentation lists binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows, among other platforms. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Custom branding: Yes · root-gg.github.io, 23 Sept 2026
Deployment: Official installation options include release binaries, Docker images, Debian or Ubuntu packages, source builds, and Kubernetes Helm. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Desktop app: No · root-gg.github.io, 23 Sept 2026
Encryption: Optional age end-to-end encryption runs client-side, so the server stores encrypted bytes and does not access the plaintext or passphrase. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
End-to-end encryption: Optional age encryption runs client-side so the server stores encrypted bytes and does not have access to the plaintext or passphrase. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Expiration and one-shot downloads: Uploads can have configurable time-to-live and can be set to delete after the first download. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Expiration and one-shot uploads: Uploads support configurable expiration and one-shot downloads that delete a file after its first download. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · root-gg.github.io, 23 Sept 2026
Integrations: The project lists a ShareX uploader, a .NET API client, and a Thunderbird add-on as third-party clients. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
License: Plik is released under the MIT License. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Metadata: The product page lists SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MySQL as metadata backends. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Notable limitation: The security documentation says server-side MIME detection can misidentify Office files such as DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX as ZIP files. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Purpose: Plik is a self-hosted temporary file sharing platform described as similar to WeTransfer. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Security headers: File download responses include nosniff, DENY framing, and a restrictive Content Security Policy. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Storage: File storage backends include local filesystems and S3-compatible storage, with OpenStack Swift and Google Cloud Storage also listed on the product page. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Streaming: Stream mode transfers data through the server without persisting it to disk, and waits for a downloader to connect. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Web interface: It has a Vue 3 web interface for uploading, downloading, and managing files. · root-gg.github.io, 11 Oct 2026

Where Plik stands on Freedom251

File transfer services#35 of 105