npx instbyte

Instbyte is a high-speed, real-time, short-lived LAN sharing utility built for teams and developers who need to move snippets, links, files, and structured notes across devices instantly — without cloud accounts, logins, or external services.

It operates entirely on your local network, acting as a lightweight "digital dead-drop" for frictionless collaboration.

Instbyte can also be fully white-labelled — the difference between a tool you use and a tool you own.

Install & Run

Requires Node.js 18 or higher.

The fastest way — no installation needed:

npx instbyte

Or install globally and run from anywhere:

npm install -g instbyte
instbyte

Data and config live in the directory you run the command from. To keep a permanent instance, always run from the same folder or use a process manager like pm2.

That's it. Open the displayed URL in any browser on the same network.

How It Works

One person runs the server — everyone else on the same WiFi opens the URL in their browser. No accounts, no setup on client devices.

[Your Machine] — runs: npx instbyte
                        ↓
               http://192.168.x.x:3000
                        ↓
   [Phone] [Laptop] [Tablet] — open URL in browser

Sharing is instant:

• Type or paste text → hit Send
• Paste anywhere on the page → auto-sends text or uploads images directly
• Drag a file anywhere onto the page → uploads
• Click any text item → copies to clipboard
• Click any file item → downloads

Everything syncs in real time across all connected devices. Content auto-deletes after 24 hours.

For Teams

Quick Setup (No Config)

Run npx instbyte on the machine that will act as the server. Share the displayed network URL with your team. Done.

With Config File

For teams who want auth, custom retention, or branding — create instbyte.config.json in the directory where you run the command:

{
  "server": {
    "port": 3000
  },
  "auth": {
    "passphrase": "yourteampassword"
  },
  "storage": {
    "maxFileSize": "2GB",
    "retention": "24h"
  },
  "branding": {
    "appName": "Team Hub",
    "primaryColor": "#7c3aed",
    "logoPath": "./logo.png"
  }
}

Then run npx instbyte in the same directory. The config is picked up automatically.

Keeping It Running

For persistent team use, run it as a background process:

# using pm2
npm install -g pm2
pm2 start "npx instbyte" --name instbyte
pm2 save

Or use any process manager you already have — systemd, screen, tmux.

Configuration

Instbyte works out of the box with zero configuration. All options are optional — only include what you want to override.

| Key | Default | Description | |---|---|---| | server.port | 3000 | Port to run on. Overridden by PORT env var if set | | auth.passphrase | "" | Shared passphrase for access. Empty = no auth | | storage.maxFileSize | "2GB" | Max upload size. Accepts KB, MB, GB | | storage.retention | "24h" | How long before items auto-delete. Accepts h, d, or "never" to disable cleanup entirely | | branding.appName | "Instbyte" | App name in header and browser tab | | branding.primaryColor | "#111827" | Primary brand color in hex. Full palette auto-derived | | branding.logoPath | — | Path to your logo file relative to where you run the command | | branding.faviconPath | — | Path to custom favicon. Auto-generated from logo if omitted |

Branding

Instbyte can be fully white-labelled — no code changes required. Set a name, a color, and a logo and the entire UI updates automatically including the login page, favicon, buttons, and active states.

{
  "branding": {
    "appName": "Team Hub",
    "primaryColor": "#7c3aed",
    "logoPath": "./my-logo.png"
  }
}

The difference between a tool you use and a tool you own.

Features

Real-time sync — every action is instantly reflected across all connected devices via WebSockets.

Channels — organise shared content into named channels. Create, rename, pin, and delete channels on the fly. Pinned channels are protected from accidental deletion.

Rich content — markdown rendering, syntax highlighting for code, inline image preview, video and audio playback, PDF preview, and text file viewing — all without downloading.

Search — full-text search across all channels.

Smart port handling — if port 3000 is busy, Instbyte finds the next available port automatically.

Short-lived by design — content auto-deletes after 24 hours by default. Configure retention per your needs, or disable cleanup entirely.

QR join — built-in QR code so phones can join instantly without typing the URL.

Dark mode — follows system preference automatically. Override with the toggle in the header.

Undo delete — recover accidentally removed items instantly before they’re gone.

New drop alerts — get a notification sound when something is added in your current channel and visual indicators for activity in others.

Presence awareness — see how many people are currently connected in real time.

Read receipts — see how many devices have viewed each shared item. Updates live as teammates open the page.

Item management — add optional titles to label any item for future reference. Edit text items inline without deleting and re-pasting. Pinned items are protected from both manual deletion and auto-cleanup.

Keyboard Shortcuts

| Key | Action | |---|---| | / | Focus search | | Escape | Close previews, menus, or blur input | | Ctrl/Cmd + Enter | Send message | | Ctrl/Cmd + K | Jump to message input | | Tab | Cycle channels |

Manual / Self-hosted from Source

git clone https://github.com/mohitgauniyal/instbyte
cd instbyte
npm install
node server/server.js

Use Cases

• Moving content between your phone and laptop over WiFi
• Sharing API payloads, logs, or screenshots during a sprint
• A lightweight team clipboard during standups or pair sessions
• Home lab file sharing without setting up NAS or cloud sync

Versioning

Instbyte follows Semantic Versioning. See Releases for full changelog.

Contributing

Instbyte is intentionally lightweight and LAN-first. If you want to extend it — CLI tools, themes, integrations — open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.