Local Send, An Open Source Airdrop Alternative.

I recently heard about this program that can give you an Airdrop style file transfer compatible with any device regardless of what operating system it uses.

If you're not familiar with what Airdrop is, it's Apples proprietary software that allows you to discover other Apple devices nearby and share files with them. It is a great feature, but it's closed off to anyone not using an Apple device.

Local Send File Sharing Software

What Local Send does is it gives you a way to share files to any device regardless of what operating system you or the other device is using.

Once you have the app on your device you can simply start sharing files with ease. To share a file both devices must be connected to the same network, currently there doesn't seem to be support for bluetooth.

the app works by discovering other devices on the local network that are running Local Send and creates a peer to peer connection to the other device to transfer files, no central server needs to be involved. This means your files never cross another network or end up on someone's server some where else.

Besides being a local only connection, Local Send end to end encrypts your data when transferring your files. This means even if someone on your local network captures the data your sending, they won't be able to open it and view it.

Free and Open Source

One of my favorite things about this software is that it's free and open source. Anyone can download and use it free of charge.

MIT Software License

Local Send is licensed with the MIT software license which is considered one of the most open software licenses available. This license allows you to use the Local Send software for commercial use or almost any other way you won't with out ever having to pay for it.

"The MIT License is one of the most permissive and allows for almost unrestricted use, including for commercial purposes. It is a very flexible license that doesn’t restrict what you can do with the code." - semaphoreci

Conclusion

If you've been looking for a simple, free way to transfer files between devices than this software might be what your looking for. Give it a try next time you need to move files between devices and see how well it works for you.