Sheru - Private, Peer-to-Peer File Sharing

Stop Giving Strangers Your Number: Introducing SHERU, a New Way to Share Files

The scene is a small, bustling printing shop in my hometown in India. There’s a queue of students and professionals, each holding a phone. To print a simple document, the process is the same for everyone: you tell the shopkeeper your WhatsApp number, they send you a message, and you forward your file.

Every time I did this, I would wince internally. I was sharing my personal phone number—a key piece of my digital identity—with a complete stranger, just to transfer a file. This isn't a rare occurrence; it's a daily compromise we make for convenience.

That nagging problem is why I'm building SHERU.

The Name and The Mission

The name, SHERU, is a simple wordplay that captures the entire philosophy of the project. It's a blend of two words:

• Sher (शेर): The Hindi word for Lion, representing strength, privacy, and a direct, independent path.
• Share: The English word for its one and only purpose.

SHERU is a free, client-to-client file sharing app that lets you send files directly to anyone without sharing your phone number, email, or any personal details.

It's a digital version of handing something directly to the person in front of you. No middleman, no cloud storage, and absolutely no sign-up required. It’s an open-source alternative to services like ToffeeShare, built on the principle of absolute privacy.

The Magic: How It Works

The core of SHERU is its peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture. When you want to share a file, here’s what happens:

1. You select a file on your device. SHERU generates a unique, temporary link or a QR code.
2. The other person scans the code or opens the link.
3. A secure, direct, and encrypted tunnel is opened between your device's browser and their's. The file is sent straight from you to them.

The crucial part is what doesn't happen. The file never gets uploaded to a third-party server. It never sits in a cloud drive or a company's database. If you close your browser tab, the transfer link is broken forever. It is, by design, the most private way to share something digitally.

Why Not Just Use WhatsApp or Email?

Because your privacy is worth more than that. SHERU is built for the countless moments where the person you're sharing with is temporary, but your contact information is permanent.

• Truly Private: No need to exchange phone numbers or email addresses. Your identity is never part of the transaction.
• No Digital Trail: Because the files aren't stored on a server, there's nothing to be hacked or leaked later.
• Frictionless and Fast: No sign-up, no app install (it's a web app!), and no navigating clunky interfaces. On a local network, the speeds can be blazing fast.
• No File Size Limits: Because you're not uploading to a server with storage limits, you can send huge files—videos, design folders, anything—as long as your browser is open.

The Philosophy: A Small Act of Rebellion

In a world where every service wants to harvest our data, SHERU is a small act of rebellion. It's built on a few simple beliefs:

• Simplicity is a Feature: The best tools are the ones that do one job perfectly and then get out of your way.
• Privacy Should be the Default: You shouldn't have to trade your personal information for basic functionality.
• You Should Control Your Own Data: SHERU empowers you by ensuring your files never leave your possession until the moment they are received.

This is Just the Beginning

Right now, I am focused on perfecting this core experience: making the connection seamless, the interface clean, and the process foolproof. The web app is in active development, and I'm documenting the journey as I go.

The goal is to create a simple, trustworthy utility that gives people a better choice—a choice to keep their private information private.

If this idea resonates with you, if you've ever felt that small moment of hesitation before giving out your number, then this project is for you. I'd be thrilled to have you follow along.

---