Server Protocols

HTTP, WebDAV, FTP, SFTP, TFTP, and SMB server support

Overview

copyparty is a multi-protocol file server supporting HTTP(S), WebDAV, FTP/FTPS, SFTP, TFTP, and SMB/CIFS. Each protocol serves different use cases and client compatibility needs.

HTTP/HTTPS

The primary protocol for web browser access and the REST API.

Basic Configuration

# Listen on default port 3923
copyparty

# Listen on custom port
copyparty -p 8080

# Listen on multiple ports
copyparty -p 80,443

# IPv4 only
copyparty -i 0.0.0.0

# Specific interface
copyparty -i 192.168.1.100

HTTPS/TLS

# Enable HTTPS with certificate
copyparty -p 443 --https-cert /path/to/cert.pem --https-key /path/to/key.pem

# Accept both HTTP and HTTPS
copyparty -p 80,443 --https-cert cert.pem --https-key key.pem

For production deployments, consider using a reverse proxy (nginx, Caddy) to handle HTTPS and obtain certificates automatically via Let’s Encrypt.

WebDAV

Mount copyparty as a network drive in your file explorer.

Features

• Read/write support
• Compatible with Windows XP+, macOS, Linux (Nautilus/GVFS)
• Works with mobile WebDAV clients

Connecting from Different OSs

Windows

GUI Method:

1. Right-click “My Computer” → “Map network drive”
2. Folder: http://192.168.1.100:3923/
3. Username: your password (password field can be empty)

Command Line:

net use Z: http://192.168.1.100:3923/ /user:password

Windows has several WebDAV bugs:

• Doesn’t send password on reauthentication (workaround: put password in username field)
• Can’t access folders with forbidden characters (<>:"/\|?*) or ending with .
• May open new TCP connection per file and forget to close them

macOS

Finder Method:

1. Go → Connect to Server (⌘K)
2. Server Address: http://192.168.1.100:3923/
3. Click Connect
4. Username: password, Password: anything

Command Line:

mount_webdav http://192.168.1.100:3923/ /Volumes/copyparty

Linux

Nautilus/GVFS:

1. File → Connect to Server
2. Type: WebDAV (HTTP)
3. Server: 192.168.1.100
4. Port: 3923
5. Username: password (or actual username if --usernames enabled)

Command Line (davfs2):

sudo mount -t davfs http://192.168.1.100:3923/ /mnt/copyparty

rclone:

rclone mount copyparty: /mnt/copyparty

WebDAV Configuration

[global]
  # Force auth for all WebDAV requests (fixes Windows anonymous-read bug)
  dav-auth
  
  # Separate port for WebDAV with different write semantics
  dav-port: 3924
  
  # Allow editing existing files (needed by some clients)
  daw

Enabling daw makes all PUT uploads overwrite existing files if the user has delete access. Use with caution or configure dav-port instead.

FTP/FTPS

FTP server for legacy clients and high-speed transfers.

Configuration

# FTP on port 3921
copyparty --ftp 3921

# FTPS (explicit TLS) on port 3990
copyparty --ftps 3990

# Both FTP and FTPS
copyparty --ftp 3921 --ftps 3990

# Passive mode port range (required for firewalls)
copyparty --ftp 3921 --ftp-pr 12000-12099

Config File Example

[global]
  ftp: 3921
  ftps: 3990
  ftp-pr: 12000-12099  # passive mode port range

Firewall Rules

# Open FTP ports
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3921/tcp
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3990/tcp
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=12000-12099/tcp
firewall-cmd --reload

Authentication

• Login with any username + your password
• Or put password in username field (password can be empty)
• Unless --usernames is enabled (then both required)

Recommended Clients

• WinSCP (Windows) - winscp.net
• FileZilla (cross-platform) - filezilla-project.org
• lftp (Linux command-line)
• rclone (cross-platform, scriptable)

Performance Notes

• Faster than WebDAV in many cases
• No resumable uploads (delete and restart if needed)
• Active mode by default (use --ftp-pr for passive mode)

SFTP (SSH File Transfer)

SSH-based file transfer, more secure than FTP.

This is not FTPS (FTP-TLS). SFTP uses SSH protocol and SSH keys for authentication.

Requirements

# Install paramiko dependency
pip install paramiko

# Or use Docker image: ac, im, iv, or dj variants

Configuration

# Enable SFTP on port 3922
copyparty --sftp 3922

# Allow password authentication
copyparty --sftp 3922 --sftp-pw

# Add SSH key for user
copyparty --sftp 3922 --sftp-key 'david ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC...'

# Anonymous access (no password)
copyparty --sftp 3922 --sftp-anon guest

Config File Example

[global]
  sftp: 3922
  sftp-pw  # enable password login
  sftp-key: david ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIAbcd...
  sftp-key: alice ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAACAQC...

Performance

• Roughly 700 MiB/s throughput
• Slower than WebDAV and FTP
• Better security with key-based auth

TFTP (Trivial FTP)

Ultra-simple protocol for hardware and embedded devices.

# Enable TFTP on port 3969
copyparty --tftp 3969

# Use standard port 69 (requires root or capabilities)
sudo copyparty --tftp 69

# Or use NAT redirection
iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -i eth0 -p udp --dport 69 -j REDIRECT --to-port 3969

Features & Limitations

• ✅ Read and write support
• ✅ Binary/octet transfer mode
• ❌ No authentication (uses filesystem permissions)
• ❌ No RFC 7440 (very slow over WAN)
• ❌ No netascii mode

Expected Speeds

• 100BASE-T: ~1100 KiB/s
• WiFi (good): ~400-500 KiB/s
• WiFi (bad): ~200 KiB/s

Usage Examples

# curl (read)
curl --tftp-blksize 1428 tftp://192.168.1.100:3969/firmware.bin -o firmware.bin

# curl (write)
curl --tftp-blksize 1428 -T firmware.bin tftp://192.168.1.100:3969/

# atftp (Linux)
atftp --option "blksize 1428" 192.168.1.100 3969 -p -l firmware.bin -r firmware.bin

# Windows built-in client
tftp -i 192.168.1.100 put firmware.bin

TFTP is perfect for updating firmware on routers, switches, IP phones, and other network hardware from the 90s.

SMB/CIFS (Windows File Sharing)

Windows network file sharing protocol.

SMB support is:

• Not fully integrated with VFS (potential security issues)
• Slow (5x slower than WebDAV, 30x slower than rclone-webdav)
• Not recommended for WAN use
• Not compatible with password hashing or --usernames

Use with --smb-port and prisonparty for security.

Requirements

pip install "impacket==0.13.0"

Configuration

# Read-only SMB
copyparty --smb

# Read-write SMB  
copyparty --smbw

# Non-privileged port (recommended)
copyparty --smb --smb-port 3945

# Then use NAT on Linux
iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -i eth0 -p tcp --dport 445 -j REDIRECT --to-port 3945

Known Issues

• Only shows first ~400 files in large folders
• Login doesn’t work on Windows XP
• Windows 10+ doesn’t allow anonymous connections
• Slow compared to WebDAV
• Python 3 only

Authentication

• Username: $password, Password: k
• Or Username: $username, Password: $password

Protocol Comparison

Protocol	Speed	Security	Compatibility	Resumable	Auth
HTTP	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	✅	✅
WebDAV	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	❌	✅
FTP	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	❌	✅
FTPS	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	❌	✅
SFTP	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	❌	✅
TFTP	⭐⭐	⭐	⭐⭐⭐	❌	❌
SMB	⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	❌	⭐

Multi-Protocol Example

Enable all protocols with proper configuration:

[global]
  # HTTP/HTTPS
  port: 3923,443
  https-cert: /etc/copyparty/cert.pem
  https-key: /etc/copyparty/key.pem
  
  # WebDAV
  dav-auth
  
  # FTP/FTPS
  ftp: 3921
  ftps: 3990  
  ftp-pr: 12000-12099
  
  # SFTP
  sftp: 3922
  sftp-pw
  
  # TFTP
  tftp: 3969
  
  # Zeroconf announcement
  z  # announce all services on LAN

Use -z to announce all enabled services via mDNS and SSDP, making them automatically discoverable on your LAN.