Simple web Network Attached storage

How it works

This is a project that allows you to create a url that can be used to share files on your local are network or across the internet with advanced setup, simple to use just running the script on a terminal window setting the root path, port and runtime else default to current path, a random dynamic port and 15 minutes as runtime.

How to install

NOTE: Ensure you have python and git installed before you continue, no additional python modules are required. I'll also be assuming you are doing everything from a terminal window.

• Clone the repo and move into the directory.

git clone https://github.com/thread101/simple-home-lab-web-host.git
cd simple-home-lab-web-host/NAS-server

• Run the script NAS-server.py.

# Unix/Linux/Macs run
python3 NAS-server.py

# ms windows
python NAS-server.py

This will create a url to the current directory with a random dynamic port and run for 15 minutes.

• On Linux you can also run.

chmod +x NAS-server.py
./NAS-server.py

• The script also takes parameters. path, port and runtime respectively.

# Unix/Linux/Macs run
python3 NAS-server.py /home/ 8080 10

# ms windows
python NAS-server.py C: 8080 10

This takes the path parameter followed by the port and finally the runtime in minute, time can also be taken as floating point.

• To open the link from another machine on your local area network just find your device's ip address and replace localhost with your ip say 192.168.43.136 to http://192.168.43.136:8080.

• You can visit the link and you should see such an interface.

• To download press the download section.

• If you want to closing the connection before the elapse time press ctrl+c which will close the port and terminate the connection.

NOTE: If a directory contains html file and is clicked this renders the page on the browser, index.html are also opened by default.

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share over the internet

To share over the internet you need to tunnel your connection to a remote server also known as port forwarding

There are couple of methods, popular ones os using tools like ngrok, localxpose or cloudflared.

For simplicity I'll demonstrate using cloudflared since it doesn't require an account.

• Download and install your operating system's cloudflared executable.

• Run the NAS-server.py script normally from one terminal and open a separate one and run.

cloudflared tunnel --url=http://localhost:8080

Of course you have to use the url from the script if you did not specify the port.

• You can now share the provided link https://...-trycloudflare.com to a friend and he can then connect and download the files you are sharing.

NOTE: The link is not consistent and you may be assigned a new link if you restart your cloudflared connection. Share this link with trusted individuals for security purposes.

• ctrl+c to close the cloudflared connection, for advanced setup you can go through cloudflared documentation and create an account to get your own domain.

• For more info on the tool run cloudflared --help on your commandline or visit their github repo.

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Modification

• Feel free to mod the html, and css template in the Web directory, You can also embed javascript but will have to go under script tag in the html.

Hope you found it useful