OnionShare
Open-source tool to share files, host websites, and chat privately over the Tor network; available as desktop GUI, CLI, and mobile apps.

OnionShare is an open-source application that enables secure, anonymous file transfers, temporary website hosting, and private chat by running services as Tor onion services. It provides both a desktop GUI and a command-line tool plus mobile clients developed with partner projects.
Key Features
- Share files via an ephemeral Tor onion service with one-time or time-limited access.
- Host a static website over an onion address for private, temporary publishing.
- Private chat mode that runs as an onion-hosted web chat session.
- Desktop GUI and CLI interfaces; platform packaging for Windows, macOS, and Linux (Flatpak/Snap).
- Mobile clients developed in collaboration with partner projects for Android and iOS.
- Integrates with the Tor control interface and uses Tor-related libraries and tooling for onion services.
Use Cases
- Send large files privately between two people without relying on third-party cloud storage.
- Publish an internal or temporary static website to a small, private audience via an onion address.
- Run an ephemeral, private chat session reachable only by users with the onion URL.
Limitations and Considerations
- Performance and responsiveness are constrained by the Tor network (latency and throughput) and are not comparable to clearnet transfers.
- Packaging and dependency constraints have affected some platforms (for example, ARM/armhf packaging challenges related to Qt/PySide availability).
- The project uses Python web components where upstream changes can require maintenance (e.g., noted framework deprecations/warnings).
OnionShare is a mature, actively maintained open-source project focused on privacy-preserving file sharing and short-lived hosting using Tor. It is well-suited for users who need ad-hoc private exchanges without using centralized services, while accepting Tor-related performance and packaging trade-offs.




























