rtc-direct

Peer-to-peer file transfer over WebRTC. Like croc, but using WebRTC data channels for direct P2P connections.

Data flows directly between peers — the signaling server is only used for the initial handshake.

Usage

Send a file

npx rtc-direct send photo.jpg

Sending photo.jpg (2.4 MB)
Code: 7a3f-blue-river

On the other machine, run:
  npx rtc-direct receive 7a3f-blue-river

Receive a file

npx rtc-direct receive 7a3f-blue-river

Connecting with code: 7a3f-blue-river
Waiting for sender...

Connected to peer!
Receiving photo.jpg (2.4 MB)
[████████████████████████] 100% | done
Done! Saved to ./photo.jpg

Options

rtc-direct send <file> [--server <url>]
rtc-direct receive <code> [--server <url>] [--out <path>]

| Option | Description | Default | |--------|-------------|---------| | --server <url> | Signaling server URL | https://signallite.nikunjgupta.dev | | --out <path> | Output directory (receive only) | . |

How it works

1. Sender generates a short transfer code and waits for a peer
2. Receiver connects using the same code
3. signallite handles the WebRTC signaling (SDP offer/answer + ICE candidates)
4. A direct peer-to-peer data channel is established
5. The file is streamed in 16KB chunks with flow control
6. The signaling server disconnects once peers are connected — all data flows directly

Self-hosting the signaling server

You can run your own signaling server:

npx @nkg447/signallite

Then point both peers to it:

npx rtc-direct send file.txt --server http://your-server:3000
npx rtc-direct receive <code> --server http://your-server:3000

License

MIT