Send

Simple, private file sharing. A fork of Mozilla’s Firefox Send that allows you to encrypt and send files with links that automatically expire.

Send architecture overview

Send is a Node.js application providing secure file sharing with automatic expiration. It uses Redis for metadata storage and supports multiple storage backends including local filesystem, S3-compatible services, and Google Cloud Storage.

  flowchart TD
 subgraph s1["Node.js"]
        n6["Send Application"]
  end
    n1["Redis"] --> s1
    s1 --> n1 & n4["S3/Cellar"]
    n4 --> s1
    n1@{ shape: cyl}
    n4@{ shape: rect}

Prerequisites

Before deploying Send on Clever Cloud, make sure you have:

• Node.js 16.x
• Redis for metadata storage
• Cellar S3 for file storage
• Clever Tools CLI (documentation)
• s3cmd for bucket management
• Git

Installation and deployment

1. Clone and prepare the Send repository

Clone the Send repository and prepare it for deployment:

# Clone the Send repository
git clone https://github.com/timvisee/send.git
cd send

2. Create and configure Redis add-on

Create a Redis add-on first for metadata storage:

# Create Redis addon
clever addon create redis-addon --plan s_mono send-redis

3. Create and configure Cellar S3 storage

Create the Cellar S3 addon for file storage:

# Create Cellar addon
clever addon create cellar-addon --plan S send-storage

Configure a bucket for Send named “send-storage-bucket.”

Check the Cellar documentation for more information.

4. Create and configure Node.js application

Create the Node.js application on Clever Cloud:

# Create the Node.js app on Clever Cloud
clever create --type node send-app

# Link Redis addon to the application
clever service link-addon send-redis

# Link Cellar addon to the application
clever service link-addon send-storage

Set Node.js version and basic configuration:

# Set Node.js version and environment
clever env set CC_NODE_VERSION 16
clever env set PORT 8080
clever env set CC_POST_BUILD_HOOK "npm install && npm install -g rimraf && npm run build"

5. Configure environment variables

First, get the IDs of the addons with clever addon.

Set Redis connection environment variables:

# Redis configuration
clever env set REDIS_DB 0

All other variables are configured automatically.

Configure S3/Cellar storage (replace with actual values from clever addon env <addon_id>):

# S3/Cellar configuration
clever env set S3_BUCKET send-storage-bucket
clever env set S3_ENDPOINT <CELLAR_ADDON_HOST>
clever env set AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID <CELLAR_ADDON_KEY_ID>
clever env set AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY <CELLAR_ADDON_KEY_SECRET>
clever env set S3_USE_PATH_STYLE_ENDPOINT true

Set Send application configuration:

Get the current testing domain with clever domain, then

# Base URL (replace with your test domain)
clever env set BASE_URL https://<your-test-domain>

# File upload limits
clever env set MAX_FILE_SIZE 2147483648
clever env set MAX_FILES_PER_ARCHIVE 64
clever env set MAX_ARCHIVES_PER_USER 16

# Download and expiration settings
clever env set DEFAULT_EXPIRE_SECONDS 86400
clever env set MAX_EXPIRE_SECONDS 604800
clever env set DEFAULT_DOWNLOADS 1
clever env set MAX_DOWNLOADS 100

# UI dropdown options
clever env set DOWNLOAD_COUNTS "1,5,10,25,50,100"
clever env set EXPIRE_TIMES_SECONDS "3600,86400,604800,2592000"

6. Deploy the application

Deploy your Send application:

# Deploy to Clever Cloud
clever deploy

7. Set up custom domain (optional)

If you want to use a custom domain:

# Add your custom domain
clever domain add <your-custom-domain.com>

# Update the BASE_URL environment variable
clever env set BASE_URL https://<your-custom-domain.com>

# Restart to apply new BASE_URL
clever restart

Alternative configurations

Custom branding (optional)

Customize the appearance of your Send instance:

# Custom branding
clever env set UI_COLOR_PRIMARY "#ff6600"
clever env set UI_COLOR_ACCENT "#cc5200"
clever env set CUSTOM_TITLE "My Send Instance"
clever env set CUSTOM_DESCRIPTION "Secure file sharing for our organization"
clever env set CUSTOM_FOOTER_TEXT "Powered by Send"
clever env set CUSTOM_FOOTER_URL "https://example.com"

Common issues

1. Redis connection failed:

• Verify Redis addon is linked: clever service
• Check Redis environment variables: clever env | grep REDIS

2. S3 upload fails:

• Verify bucket exists: s3cmd ls
• Check S3 environment variables: clever env | grep -E "(S3_|AWS_)"
• Verify bucket policy: s3cmd info s3://your-bucket

3. Application won’t start:

• Check logs: clever logs
• Verify all required environment variables are set: clever env
• Restart application: clever restart

🎓 Further Help