What Safebucket is, how its direct-to-storage architecture works, and its key features for open-source, self-hosted secure file sharing.
Category
File Management
Pricing
Free and open source, self-hosted, from Free
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Last updated
July 19, 2026
APIOpen SourceSelf-Hosted
Overview
Safebucket is an open-source, self-hosted file sharing platform built so that files never pass through its own application server. Uploads and downloads connect directly to a storage backend via presigned URLs, while the Safebucket server itself only manages metadata, access control, and audit logging. It is licensed under Apache 2.0 and built with a Go backend and a React with TypeScript frontend.
Key Features
Safebucket is SSO-first, authenticating users through an organization's existing OIDC identity provider rather than managing passwords itself. Sharing is organized around buckets with owner, contributor, and viewer roles, plus quick and reverse share links protected by passwords, download limits, and view limits. The platform also includes real-time activity tracking, audit logs, TOTP multifactor authentication, and configurable file expiration and trash retention.
Pricing
Safebucket is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license, distributed via GitHub for self-hosted deployment. There is no vendor-hosted paid tier documented; organizations deploy and run the platform on their own infrastructure, choosing their own storage, database, and event backends.
Key Features
Direct-to-storage file transfer — Files upload and download directly to S3-compatible storage via presigned URLs, bypassing the application server entirely.
SSO-first authentication — Users authenticate through an organization's existing identity provider via OIDC rather than Safebucket-managed passwords.
Bucket-based access control — Sharing is organized around buckets with explicit membership and owner, contributor, and viewer roles.
Quick and reverse share links — Public share links can be protected with a password, a maximum number of downloads, and a maximum number of views.
Audit logging and activity tracking — Real-time activity logs give visibility into file access and sharing actions for compliance purposes.
Multifactor authentication — TOTP-based multifactor authentication adds an extra layer of account security.
File expiration and trash retention — Files can be set to expire automatically, with a configurable trash retention period before permanent deletion.
Swappable infrastructure components — Storage, database, events, cache, and logging backends can each be independently swapped for different providers.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Files never pass through the application server, reducing server load and a potential point of exposure
Free and open source under the permissive Apache 2.0 license
Works with a wide range of S3-compatible storage providers, avoiding vendor lock-in
SSO-first design integrates cleanly with existing identity providers
Granular bucket-based roles and audit logging support compliance needs
Modern Go and React technology stack that is approachable for developers to extend
Cons
Self-hosted only, requiring organizations to manage their own infrastructure and updates
No founding year, company size, or headquarters publicly disclosed, making it hard to gauge project maturity and backing
No official managed or hosted SaaS offering documented
Requires an existing OIDC identity provider and S3-compatible storage to fully set up
Smaller community and ecosystem compared to established file sharing platforms
Documentation and support rely on the open-source community rather than a dedicated vendor support team
Pricing
Open Source Free N/A, self-hosted open source
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Safebucket
Safebucket is an open-source, self-hosted file sharing platform where files upload and download directly to S3-compatible storage instead of passing through the application server.
Is Safebucket free
Yes, Safebucket is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license, deployed on your own infrastructure.
What storage providers does Safebucket support
Safebucket supports AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, MinIO, Wasabi, Backblaze B2, DigitalOcean Spaces, Linode Object Storage, Tencent COS, Alibaba OSS, and other S3-compatible providers.
How does Safebucket handle authentication
Safebucket is SSO-first, authenticating users through an organization's existing identity provider via OIDC rather than managing passwords itself.
Can I password-protect shared files in Safebucket
Yes, quick and reverse share links can be protected with a password, a maximum number of downloads, and a maximum number of views.
What technology is Safebucket built with
Safebucket is built with a Go backend REST API and a React with TypeScript frontend.
Does Safebucket support multifactor authentication
Safebucket is built for organizations that already have their own identity provider and object storage infrastructure and want a self-hosted, auditable file sharing layer on top of it.