Server Setup

Configure server ports, interfaces, SSL, and general options for copyparty

Server configuration for copyparty including network settings, SSL/TLS, and daemon options.

Configuration Files

Copyparty supports configuration files in addition to command-line arguments. Config files are recommended for complex setups.

Using Config Files

Command Line

# Specify config file with -c
python copyparty-sfx.py -c foobar.conf

# Or use environment variable
PRTY_CONFIG=foobar.conf python copyparty-sfx.py

The config file syntax is not actually YAML but looks similar. Inline comments are OK if there are 2 spaces before the # sign.

Network Configuration

Ports and Interfaces

-p, --port · number · default: "3923"

Port(s) to listen on. Can specify multiple ports.

-p 3923         # single port
-p 8080,3939    # multiple ports

-i, --ip · string · default: "0.0.0.0"

Network interface to bind to.

-i 0.0.0.0      # all interfaces (default)
-i 127.0.0.1    # localhost only
-i 192.168.1.5  # specific interface

--https · string

Enable HTTPS with certificate.

--https 3923,/path/to/cert.pem,/path/to/key.pem

Unix Socket

Recommended for reverse-proxy setups (better performance and security).

[global]
  i: /dev/shm/party.sock  # listen on unix socket

# Set permissions on the socket
chmod 0770 /dev/shm/party.sock

File Indexing

Enable database features for searching, upload tracking, and metadata.

-e2d · boolean

Enable database; makes files searchable and enables upload-undo

-e2ds · boolean

Scan writable folders for new files on startup (also sets -e2d)

-e2dsa · boolean

Scan all folders for new files on startup (also sets -e2d)

-e2t · boolean

Enable multimedia indexing; makes it possible to search for tags

-e2ts · boolean

Scan existing files for tags on startup (also sets -e2t)

-e2tsr · boolean

Delete all metadata from DB for full rescan (also sets -e2ts)

Recommended Setup

[global]
  e2dsa  # enable general file indexing
  e2ts   # enable audio metadata indexing (needs FFprobe or Mutagen)

Database Location

By default, a .hist folder is created inside each volume for the filesystem index, thumbnails, audio transcodes, and markdown history.

--hist · string

Move database and thumbnails to another location (global or per-volume)

[global]
  hist: /tmp/cdb  # global setting

[/music]
  /mnt/music
  flags:
    hist: /tmp/music-cache  # per-volume setting

--dbpath · string

Move only the database (keep thumbnails in volume)

[/music]
  /mnt/music
  flags:
    dbpath: /tmp/music-db

If the up2k.db is on a network share (samba/NFS), you may get unpredictable behavior if the share disconnects. Use --hist or --dbpath to place it on local storage.

Zeroconf / mDNS / SSDP

Announce services on the local network for easy discovery.

-z, --zeroconf · boolean

Enable zeroconf (mDNS + SSDP)

--mdns · boolean

Enable mDNS only (Bonjour/Avahi)

--ssdp · boolean

Enable SSDP only (Windows Explorer)

[global]
  z     # enable both mDNS and SSDP
  qr    # show QR code on startup

QR Code

Print a QR code for quick access from mobile devices.

[global]
  qr  # print QR code on startup

Protocol Servers

FTP Server

--ftp · number

Enable FTP server on specified port

--ftp 3921

--ftps · number

Enable FTPS (FTP over SSL) on specified port

--ftps 3990

SFTP Server

--sftp · number

Enable SFTP server (goes ~700 MiB/s, slower than WebDAV and FTP)

--sftp 3922

WebDAV Server

--no-dav · boolean

Disable WebDAV support (enabled by default)

--dav-auth · boolean

Ask WebDAV clients to login for all folders (required for some clients)

TFTP Server

--tftp · number

Enable TFTP server (read/write) on specified port

--tftp 3969

SMB Server

--smb · number

Enable SMB/CIFS server (unsafe, slow, not recommended for WAN)

--smb 3945

SMB server is unsafe and slow. Not recommended for internet-facing deployments.

Performance Options

-j · number · default: "0"

Enable multiprocessing (actual multithreading)

-j0  # disabled (default)
-j2  # 2 worker processes
-j4  # 4 worker processes

Usually NOT recommended. Can reduce performance in most cases despite lower latency.

-q · boolean

Disable logging (improves performance)

--no-hash · regex

Skip hashing files matching pattern

[global]
  no-hash: \.iso$  # skip hashing *.iso files

--no-dirsz · boolean

Show folder inode size instead of total contents size (~30% faster listings)

Firewall Ports

Example firewall configuration for all copyparty features:

firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port={80,443,3921,3922,3923,3945,3990}/tcp
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=12000-12099/tcp  # passive FTP
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port={69,1900,3969,5353}/udp
firewall-cmd --reload

Port mapping:

• 69: TFTP
• 80/443: HTTP/HTTPS
• 1900: SSDP
• 3921: FTP
• 3922: SFTP
• 3923: HTTP/HTTPS (default)
• 3945: SMB
• 3969: TFTP
• 3990: FTPS
• 5353: mDNS
• 12000-12099: Passive FTP

Systemd Service

Run copyparty as a systemd service:

systemd/copyparty.service

[Unit]
Description=copyparty file server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=copyparty
Group=copyparty
ExecStart=/usr/bin/copyparty -c /etc/copyparty/config.conf
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5s

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

# Enable and start service
sudo systemctl enable copyparty
sudo systemctl start copyparty

# Reload config without restart
sudo systemctl reload copyparty

Reverse Proxy

See reverse-proxy documentation for nginx/Apache configurations.

When running behind a reverse-proxy, listen on a unix socket for better performance and security.

Security Hardening

1. Set reverse proxy mode

   Set --rproxy 0 if copyparty is directly facing the internet (not through a reverse-proxy)

2. Use unix socket

   When behind a reverse-proxy, listen on a unix socket for tighter access control

3. Prevent XSS

   Use volflag nohtml for volumes with anonymous uploads or untrusted content

4. Disable dangerous features

   Use -s safety profile to disable thumbnails and audio transcoding

Complete Example

[global]
  # Network
  i: /dev/shm/party.sock
  
  # Indexing
  e2dsa  # enable file indexing
  e2ts   # enable multimedia indexing
  
  # Features
  z      # zeroconf
  qr     # show QR code
  
  # Performance
  q      # quiet mode
  hist: /var/cache/copyparty
  
  # Protocols
  ftp: 3921
  sftp: 3922

[accounts]
  admin: secure_password_here
  guest: guest123

[/]
  /srv/files
  accs:
    r: *
    rw: admin