Peer-to-peer transfer
Send a file straight from your browser to the person receiving it - no upload, no storage, no middleman.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) mode opens a direct, encrypted connection between your browser and the recipient's, then streams the file across it. The bytes travel device to device and never land on a Transferify server, so the transfer is as fast as the link between you - and private by design.
How a direct transfer works
When you choose an instant transfer, Transferify doesn't upload your file. Instead it registers the transfer and helps the two browsers find each other: a lightweight signaling step exchanges the connection details, and public STUN servers help each side work out how to reach the other across the internet.
Once the browsers are connected, the file streams directly over a WebRTC data channel. That channel runs over DTLS, so every byte is encrypted end-to-end between the two peers - the connection carries the file, and our servers never see its contents.
Why send peer-to-peer
- Speed. The file takes the shortest path - straight from one browser to the other - instead of being uploaded to a server and downloaded again.
- Privacy. Because the file is never stored, there's nothing sitting on a server to leak, be requested, or be forgotten at deletion time. It exists only on the two devices.
- No storage limits. No server holds your file, so our storage quotas don't apply. The practical limit is your connection and how long you both stay online.
Good to know before you send
Peer-to-peer is a live handoff rather than a drop-off, so a couple of things are worth planning for:
- You both need to be online together. The file streams from your browser in real time, so your tab has to stay open until the download finishes - close it and the connection ends. For a send-and-forget link the recipient can open later, use hosted transfer instead.
- Some networks block the direct path. Strict firewalls and certain office or mobile networks can stop two browsers from connecting directly. Transferify uses STUN to get around most of these, but a relay fallback (TURN) isn't available yet, so a small number of restrictive networks may not connect. When that happens, hosted transfer is the reliable alternative.
Other ways to send
Peer-to-peer isn't the only option - pick the mode that fits the moment:
- Hosted transfer - stores an encrypted copy so the link works even after you close your tab - best when the recipient will download later, or when a direct connection won't form.
- Zero-knowledge encryption - the full story on how your files stay private, including the key that never reaches our servers.