filebrowser

FileBrowser - Tiiny.host Killer

Private drive + public file hosting. A Tiiny.host replacement at a fraction of the cost.

RAM: ~160MB (FileBrowser + Nginx) | Disk: depends on files | Plan: Mikrus 1.0 PRO+ (35 PLN/yr + 60 PLN one-time for Docker)

Installation

Full setup (admin + public hosting)

# Cloudflare domain
DOMAIN_PUBLIC=static.example.com ./local/deploy.sh filebrowser \
  --ssh=ALIAS \
  --domain-type=cloudflare \
  --domain=files.example.com \
  --yes

After installation you have:

• https://files.example.com — admin panel (login required)
• https://static.example.com — public files (no login)

Admin panel only (no public hosting)

./local/deploy.sh filebrowser --ssh=ALIAS --domain-type=local --yes

Useful when you want a private drive only, or plan to add public hosting later.

Adding public hosting later

If you installed without DOMAIN_PUBLIC, add it anytime:

./local/add-static-hosting.sh static.example.com ALIAS

# Custom directory
./local/add-static-hosting.sh cdn.example.com ALIAS /var/www/cdn

# Custom directory and port
./local/add-static-hosting.sh assets.example.com ALIAS /var/www/assets 8097

Requirements

• RAM: ~128MB (FileBrowser container limit)
• Disk: ~40MB (filebrowser/filebrowser image)
• Port: 8095 (default from PORT=${PORT:-8095})
• Database: none (SQLite file filebrowser.db)

After Installation

1. Open https://files.example.com (or SSH tunnel to port 8095)
2. Login: admin / admin
3. Change the password immediately
4. Upload files to /var/www/public/ — they appear at https://static.example.com

How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  files.example.com (ADMIN)                                  │
│  -> FileBrowser with login                                  │
│  -> Upload, edit, delete files                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              │ files in /var/www/public/
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  static.example.com (PUBLIC)                                │
│  -> Direct access without login                             │
│  -> https://static.example.com/ebook.pdf                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

FileBrowser is the only Docker container. Caddy handles static hosting directly as a file_server — no extra nginx container is needed.

Use Cases

• Lead magnet: upload PDF → link https://static.example.com/ebook.pdf → use in automation (n8n, email)
• Landing page: upload index.html → instant static site at https://static.example.com/
• Client proposals: proposal-smith.pdf → shareable private-looking link

Cost Comparison

Solution	Price/year	Limit
Tiiny.host Pro	~$120/yr	10 sites
Tiiny.host Business	~$300/yr	50 sites
FileBrowser + Mikrus 1.0 PRO	35 PLN/yr + 60 PLN one-time (Docker)	unlimited

Management

# Logs
ssh ALIAS "docker logs -f filebrowser-filebrowser-1"

# Restart
ssh ALIAS "cd /opt/stacks/filebrowser && docker compose restart"

# Update
ssh ALIAS "cd /opt/stacks/filebrowser && docker compose pull && docker compose up -d"

# Status
ssh ALIAS "docker ps --filter name=filebrowser"

Backup

Files are stored in /var/www/public/ on the server.

./local/sync.sh down /var/www/public ./backup-files --ssh=ALIAS

Security

Change the password after first login!

Default credentials: admin / admin

File visibility

• Admin (files.*) — requires login
• Public (static.*) — accessible to anyone with the link

For "unlisted" files use random names: proposal-x7k9m2.pdf

Troubleshooting

File not visible on public site

ssh ALIAS "sudo chmod -R o+r /var/www/public/"

403 Forbidden

ssh ALIAS "sudo chown -R 1000:1000 /var/www/public/"