Question 1

What is Nearby?

Accepted Answer

Nearby is a peer-to-peer file sharing web app. Open it on devices on the same Wi‑Fi to share files or text directly browser-to-browser via WebRTC — no accounts and no uploads to a server.

Question 2

Are my files uploaded to a server?

Accepted Answer

No. File and text bytes travel on a direct WebRTC DataChannel between devices. The Cloudflare Worker only relays signaling messages (SDP/ICE) for discovery and connection setup.

Question 3

Do devices need to be on the same network?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Nearby groups devices by public IP (or IPv6 /64 prefix). It is same-network only by design and does not use a TURN relay for cross-network transfers.

Question 4

Is Nearby a SnapDrop alternative?

Accepted Answer

Nearby offers the same core habit as classic SnapDrop — open a browser tab on the same network and send files peer-to-peer — as a separate open-source project you can self-host on Cloudflare. It is not affiliated with SnapDrop or LimeWire. See https://nearby.iamkunal9.in/snapdrop-alternative/ for a full comparison.

Question 5

Can I self-host Nearby?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The open-source project deploys to Cloudflare Workers (signaling) and Cloudflare Pages (frontend). See the GitHub README for Bun-based install and deploy steps.