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Getting Started

Filetree is minimalistic, self-hosted file manager. No database to configure, no cloud sign-up, no vendor lock-in — just a single binary and a config file. Your files stay under your control.

From homelab to open source

Filetree started as a simple homelab project — a way to browse and manage files on my home server without exposing it to the cloud or dealing with heavy, database-backed alternatives. I wanted something minimal: one binary, a config file and control over my own data.

Over time, it grew, I added auth, previews, signed URLs, and an admin UI. What began as a personal tool became something I thought others might find useful. If you're running a homelab, a small team server, or just want your files under your control, Filetree is for you.

Features

  • Minimal setup — Build once, run anywhere. Single binary or a small Container image.
  • No database — No complex setup, everything lives in a config file. Add local users, toggle auth providers, and adjust settings without migrations or extra services.
  • Fast and lightweight — Built with Go. Starts in milliseconds, uses little memory.
  • Works everywhere — Responsive interface for desktop, tablet, and mobile. Access your files from any browser.
  • Browse & manage — Create folders, rename, move, copy, delete (with trash). Drag-and-drop to upload.
  • Rich previews — Images, video, audio, PDF, Markdown, JSON, CSV, HTML, text — preview in the browser.
  • Secure auth — Sign in with Google, GitHub, or local users. JWT-based sessions.
  • Signed URLs — Share short-lived links for previews and downloads. Time-limited, no long-lived links.
  • Admin UI — Manage auth providers and users from the Settings page. No config editing required.

Quick start

Download pre-built binaries from GitHub Releases if available. If the release ships a UI bundle, place it where the binary expects it (see Installation), then:

ROOT_PATH=./data ./filetree

Or build from source (one embedded binary):

make build
ROOT_PATH=./data ./app/filetree

For a disk-only UI (no embed), use make build-app and make build-frontend, then run ./app/filetree from the repo root so it serves app/web/dist (or app/uiembed/dist if you ran make embed-ui).

For production:

ROOT_PATH=/path/to/files CONFIG_FILE=./config.yaml ./filetree

The prebuilt OCI complaint container image is a great way to get up and running in a few minutes, as it comes with all dependencies pre-installed. Pull the pre-built image from GitHub Container Registry:

docker pull ghcr.io/heapoftrash/filetree:latest
docker run -p 8080:8080 -v /path/to/files:/data ghcr.io/heapoftrash/filetree:latest

Or build from source:

docker build -f Containerfile -t filetree .
docker run -p 8080:8080 -v /path/to/files:/data filetree

Then open http://localhost:8080. Use ghcr.io/heapoftrash/filetree:v1.0.0 for a specific version.

Filetree can be directly used from GitHub by cloning the repository into a subfolder of your project root which might be useful if you want to use the very latest version:

Clone and build from source: 

git clone https://github.com/heapoftrash/filetree.git
cd filetree
Build the UI and Go binary: 
make build
Run from the project root: 
ROOT_PATH=./data ./app/filetree
Then open http://localhost:8080.

Open source

Filetree is MIT licensed. Host it yourself, modify it, contribute. No vendor lock-in — your files stay under your control.