Nitroshare
Version: 0.3.4 Web: http://bit.ly/nitroshare
Back in LXF207 we reviewed Dukto, a network tool that handles common file exchange tasks. Its main advantage was a great number of supported platforms, so that you could enable file transfers between, say, your ancient Symbian-based Nokia phone and your Linux desktop.
Dukto gives the impression that is has been unsupported for years, but no matter: we have a newer similar application: Nitroshare. It’s a lightweight cross-platform program that performs some file management and network tasks. The most common real-world usage scenario is most likely file management between an Androidbased smartphone and a Linux desktop.
You can download Nitroshare for Android either from Google Play or as a standalone APK installer, and once you have the software on both ends, you can send files and directories in both directions. Nitroshare also supports Windows and macOS, so you’re bound to find a configuration that’s able to run the program.
The Linux version comes with a command-line tool ( nitroshare-cli ) and a graphical frontend ( nitroshare ). The latter is commonly referred to as NitroshareDesktop, and it sits in your desktop tray, waiting for you to rightclick it and send something, or just view current transfers. You can send file selections or entire directories, and use TLS encryption for better security. The tray icon will also inform you if any other client has joined the network or if someone is sending something to you.
Nitroshare hides QHTTPEngine and QMDNSEngine, an HTTP server and a multicast DNS server for Qt applications respectively (if you decide to build Nitroshare from sources, you’ll need to build these two dependencies first). As usual, make sure that your firewall is configured so that you can listen to the 40818 UDP port (a default Nitroshare setting) and that’s it. Nitroshare will automatically broadcast its presence across your LAN, so no other setup is required.
“It’s a lightweight, cross-platform program for file management”