Gokapi vs transfer.sh
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Gokapi | transfer.sh |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 76 · Good |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,881 | ★ 15,897 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, Firefox Send | WeTransfer |
What are Gokapi and transfer.sh?
Gokapi
Gokapi is a minimalist file sharing server inspired by Firefox Send. It lets you upload files and generate download links that can expire after a set time or number of downloads.
- Expiring download links
- End-to-end encryption option
- AWS S3 storage support
transfer.sh
transfer.sh is a service that lets you upload and share files directly from the command line using curl. It supports encryption, S3 and Google Cloud Storage backends, and maximum download counts.
- Command-line uploads with curl
- Multiple storage backends
- Optional encryption
Gokapi vs transfer.sh: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Gokapi versus MIT for transfer.sh. Transfer.sh is the more established project (first released 2014), while Gokapi arrived in 2021. Transfer.sh has the considerably larger community, at 15,897 GitHub stars versus 2,881.
Why pick each one
Choose Gokapi if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.9k GitHub stars)
Choose transfer.sh if…
- Curl-friendly uploads
- S3 backend support
- Download limits and encryption
Watch out for
- Sparse recent development
- Minimal web interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Gokapi or transfer.sh better?
Neither is universally better. transfer.sh has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Gokapi and transfer.sh free and open-source?
Yes. Gokapi is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and transfer.sh under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gokapi and transfer.sh with Docker?
Gokapi: yes. transfer.sh: yes.