PicoShare Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

Deploy PicoShare hosting for a lightweight way to upload files and hand out direct download links, without adopting a full collaboration suite. xCloud runs the pinned PicoShare 1.5.4 image with a persistent data volume for the SQLite database and uploads, generates the shared secret and publishes the app over HTTPS on your domain, ready for your first upload the moment it is live.

Deploy your PicoShare

No terminal
No technical skills needed
No lock-in, cancel anytime

What is PicoShare?

PicoShare is a minimalist, self-hosted web app for sharing files on the web without restrictions on size, file type or media format. Upstream gives each upload a direct download link that recipients can open with no ads or signups, and says it never resizes or re-encodes media, unlike sites such as Imgur, Vimeo or SoundCloud. Self-hosted PicoShare is released under the AGPL-3.0 licence.

On xCloud it is PicoShare 1.5.4, the official image pinned by digest, running as one container. The SQLite database and every uploaded file live together on the picoshare_data volume. A single generated shared secret gates uploads and administration, so there are no per-user accounts, and the app is published over HTTPS on your domain while the container port stays private.

From Sign-Up to a Live PicoShare Link In Just 3 Easy Steps

Self-hosting a file-sharing tool normally means a container, persistent storage, a generated secret, a domain and a certificate before a single file can be shared. This is the same result without assembling any of it.

Step 01
Sign Up
Create your xCloud account and pick PicoShare from the OneClick catalog. Choose your site title, domain and target server — the shared secret is generated automatically, with no other fields to fill in.
Step 02
We Deploy It For You
One click. We bring up the official PicoShare 1.5.4 image, pinned by immutable digest, mount the picoshare_data volume for the SQLite database and uploaded files, generate the shared secret, and publish it over HTTPS on your domain — the container port never exposed publicly.
Step 03
Sign In And Share A File
Open the generated HTTPS URL and sign in with the shared secret shown by xCloud. Upload a file, set an expiration policy if needed, and copy its direct link to share.

Everything PicoShare Does, On Your Own Server

PicoShare runs in full here — uploads, direct links, expiration controls and shared-secret access, on infrastructure you control.

Direct File Sharing Links
Upload a file and share a direct link, without resizing, re-encoding or routing recipients through an account system.
Shared-Secret Upload Access
One generated shared secret gates uploads and administration — no per-user accounts to provision or manage.
Expiration Controls
Set an expiry policy on a file so temporary shares stop working on their own instead of staying live indefinitely.
Focused, Lightweight Interface
Share files from a single-purpose tool instead of adopting a full collaboration suite for one task.
One Persistent Data Volume
The SQLite database and every uploaded file live together on one volume, so metadata and content never drift apart.
No Public Container Port
The application container is never exposed directly — only xCloud's HTTPS reverse proxy is reachable from the internet.

Everything You Need To Run Your File Sharing 24/7

Managed hosting for PicoShare, so the parts that keep it online are not your problem.

PicoShare 1.5.4 deployed instantly
Official pinned image digest
Shared secret generated for you
Container port never exposed publicly
Free SSL certificate
Server backups and snapshots
Server security updates included
30+ server locations
Unused balance refunded

What You Can Do With PicoShare

Send a large file without an account
Hand a client or colleague a direct download link to a file of any size or type, with no signup for the person receiving it.
Share media without re-encoding
Upload images, video or audio and get a direct link at once, with the original file served unchanged.
Make a share that expires
Set an expiration on an upload so a temporary share stops working by itself instead of staying live indefinitely.
Run a private drop box for one team
Keep uploads on your own server behind one shared secret, instead of routing them through a public file host.

PicoShare vs Alternatives

Imgur: PicoShare is a self-hosted alternative to Imgur for sharing files: any file type or size, uploaded to your own domain, served by direct link and never resized or re-encoded.
MicroBin: MicroBin has its own OneClick page as another small self-hosted sharing tool. PicoShare is narrower still: direct file links, expiry and a single shared secret.
Zipline: Zipline has its own OneClick page. PicoShare stays deliberately minimal, with no per-user accounts, so there is nothing beyond uploads and links to configure.
Vimeo and SoundCloud: For audio or video you want to hand over as-is, PicoShare gives a direct download link as soon as the upload finishes, with no ads or signups for recipients.

Simple Pricing. Everything Included.

Dedicated Cloud VPS sizes, pre-configured for PicoShare hosting. Pick the one that fits, and resize any time.

Cloud VPS 6 GB

Cloud VPS 16 GB

More headroom for larger uploads and more retained files.

$59.99per month

16 GB RAM
6 vCPU cores
200 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Cloud VPS 24 GB

PicoShare alongside a larger self-hosted stack.

$84.99per month

24 GB RAM
8 vCPU cores
300 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Every size is a dedicated Cloud VPS we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Billed monthly with no lock-in — delete the server and the unused balance comes back to your account. PicoShare itself is free under the AGPL-3.0-or-later licence.

Docker hosting

Already Have a Server? Bring Your Own

Connect any VPS — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Hetzner or bare metal — and deploy PicoShare on it through the same panel, for a per-server management fee instead of a Cloud VPS rental.

Free

Start your journey without cost.

$0forever

1 server
10 sites

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Starter

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

6–10 servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

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Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

11+ servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

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Priced per connected server, so your rate adjusts automatically as you add or remove servers. You pay your own provider for the server itself.

Self-managed hosting

Ready To Run Your Own File Sharing Link?

PicoShare on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own the server. Stay in control.

Fast Provisioning
Deploy faster using an xCloud Managed Server built with optimized stacks and high-speed SSDs.
Enterprise-grade security
Protect your infrastructure with a free SSL certificate and more advanced security features at no additional cost.
Intuitive Control Panel
From Server creation to application deployment, everything can be managed from our intuitive control panel.

Hear what people are saying about us

See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.

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So far my experience has been smooth like silk. I didn't imagine that configuring and managing a VPS would be so easy. As of today, I have deployed 8 sites. The support is good, and they treat users with respect, even if they ask stupid questions (myself included). For the future, I hope for greater flexibility in scheduled backups and more comprehensive and consistent documentation. I'm sure that within a few months, xCloud will become the leader in its segment. This community is amazing, and the Staff here is super helpful.

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Came from cloudways then to runcloud then to xcloud. Looks like I'm staying here.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Can you self-host PicoShare with Docker?

Yes. Upstream documents a Docker image with a mounted data volume, and this template is PicoShare Docker hosting set up for you: the 1.5.4 image pinned by digest, a picoshare_data volume, a generated shared secret and HTTPS. It is your own PicoShare cloud on a dedicated server.

How much RAM does PicoShare need?

The template declares 1 core, 512 MB memory and 10 GB storage. This page starts at the 6 GB plan. Disk matters more than memory, since every upload is stored on the server, so plan the disk around the files you expect to keep.

Is PicoShare free?

Yes, under the AGPL-3.0 licence the software carries no fee. The Cloud VPS holding your uploads is the only charge, and it can be cancelled any time. Files stay in a volume that you control.

How do I sign in to PicoShare?

Open your HTTPS address and enter the 32-character shared secret from the installation credentials. It is the only credential: there are no per-user accounts. To rotate it, change PS_SHARED_SECRET in the Environment editor and restart, then check sign-in and existing links.

Is there a file size limit in PicoShare?

Upstream says PicoShare puts no restrictions on size, file type or media format. In practice, your server's free disk and any proxy or network limit in front of it set the ceiling. Check free space on the picoshare_data volume before accepting very large uploads.

Can I set PicoShare files to expire?

Yes. You can set an expiration on an upload, so a temporary share stops working on its own instead of staying reachable. Recipients open the direct download link with no signup, and after expiry that link no longer serves the file.

Does PicoShare support multiple users?

No. Access is gated by the one shared secret generated at install, with no multi-user accounts, SSO or per-user permissions. Anyone you give the secret to can upload and manage files, so share it only with people you would trust with the whole library.

How do I back up PicoShare?

Back up the whole picoshare_data volume as one unit. It holds the SQLite database, store.db, and every uploaded file together, so a partial copy is not a recoverable backup. Stop the container before copying for a consistent file, and test a restore once.

Backups in xCloud

How do I upgrade PicoShare?

The install stays on pinned 1.5.4 until you adopt a newer template version. Back up picoshare_data first, read the upstream release notes, then redeploy and check upload, download, expiry and a restart. Existing sites are never upgraded automatically.

Can I run other apps on the same server?

Yes. PicoShare is one small container, so the dedicated Cloud VPS can also host other OneClick apps or your own sites, provided you leave enough free disk for the uploads it keeps, and each app gets its own domain and certificate.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. There is no lock-in — cancel any time. Hosting is billed monthly and charged for what you actually use, so when you delete the server the unused balance is refunded to your account, less up to 10% in payment-processing fees.