Local share sends files directly from one browser to another on the same network, like AirDrop but for any device with a modern browser: iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac or Linux. Files travel peer to peer over an end-to-end encrypted connection and are never uploaded to RocketShare's servers. It is free, needs no account or app, and has no file size limit.
How Local share works
- Open this page on both devices. Connect both to the same Wi-Fi or office network and open rocketshare.app/local-share. Each device gets a random display name.
- Pick the other device. Devices on the same network appear in each other's list. Select the recipient and choose the files to send.
- Accept and compare the code. The recipient sees the request and decides whether to accept it. Both screens show the same 6-digit verification code; checking that the codes match confirms the connection was not intercepted.
- Keep both tabs open. The files stream straight to the recipient's disk (several files arrive as one ZIP). Closing either tab stops the transfer.
Is Local share secure?
Local share stacks several protections, each doing a different job:
- Direct, encrypted connection. Devices connect over a WebRTC data channel, which is encrypted with DTLS. The file data goes from one device to the other, not through a RocketShare server.
- A second end-to-end layer. Inside that channel, each side creates a fresh ECDH P-256 key pair for the session. The encryption key is derived with HKDF-SHA256 and tied to the DTLS certificates of this exact connection. Every message after the handshake is encrypted with AES-256-GCM, including transfer requests, file names and sizes. A replayed, reordered or altered message fails authentication and ends the connection.
- Verification code. The 6-digit code comes from the same key material. If someone in the middle swapped certificates during setup, the two screens would show different codes.
- Accept prompt. Nothing is transferred until the recipient accepts.
The honest caveats:
- Comparing the code is optional. If you skip it, you rely on the signaling server not to interfere with the connection setup.
- Devices are grouped by public IP address (the /64 prefix for IPv6). On a shared public IP, such as a carrier-grade NAT or a large office network, people who are not on your local network may see your random device name. They cannot send you anything you do not accept.
- Connection setup touches a few servers. RocketShare's signaling server sees a salted hash of your public IP, your device name and type, and the WebRTC handshake messages, and stores nothing persistently. Public STUN servers run by Cloudflare and Google see your device's public IP while the connection is being set up, as is normal for WebRTC.
- No relay. If the devices cannot connect directly, the transfer fails rather than being routed through a server.
The full design is in the security whitepaper.
How does it compare to AirDrop, LocalSend and ShareDrop?
AirDrop is excellent between Apple devices and works without any network, and LocalSend offers open-source native apps that work on a local network without internet. Local share needs no install at all and adds a verifiable end-to-end layer on top of WebRTC, but it needs an internet connection to find the other device. See the full comparison of Local share with AirDrop, ShareDrop, Snapdrop, PairDrop, Quick Share and LocalSend.
When to use a regular transfer instead
Local share only works while both devices are on the same network and both tabs are open. Use a regular RocketShare transfer when:
- the recipient is on a different network, in another office or on mobile data;
- the recipient is not online right now and should download later;
- you want to send the same files to several people with one link.
RocketShare is a browser-based file transfer service that encrypts file contents end-to-end (zero-knowledge) before upload. It is based in the Netherlands and stores files in Amsterdam. Without an account you can send up to 2 GB per transfer, with links that last 3 days. Unlike Local share, regular transfers store file names and sizes unencrypted; see how RocketShare security works.