PicoShare Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

Deploy PicoShare hosting for a lightweight way to upload files and hand out direct links, without adopting a full collaboration suite. xCloud configures the pinned PicoShare 1.5.4 image, a persistent data volume for the SQLite database and uploads, a generated shared secret, and the HTTPS reverse proxy in minutes, with the app ready to sign in to the moment it's live.

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

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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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

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

Most popular

Lightweight file sharing for individuals or a small team.

$24.99per month

  • 6 GB RAM
  • 4 vCPU cores
  • 100 GB NVMe SSD
  • 30 TB
  • Unlimited
Get started

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.

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
Start free

Starter

Most popular

Your rate with 2–5 servers connected.

$5per server / month

  • 2–5 servers
  • Unlimited sites
  • All features included
  • Bring any VPS provider
Get started

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

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

Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

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

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

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.

Hear what people are saying about us

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

xCloud works really well, I am surprised by its performance being this the release version, I have tried many paid platforms such as runcloud, cloudpages or serveravatar, as well as free platforms such as CyberPanel, CloudPanel or Hestia Control Panel and direct competitors such as SpinupWP and FlyWP. Of all those that I have tried, the platform that works best for WordPress is SpinupWP and I believe that xCloud can reach and surpass that development, its roadmap is promising. Congratulations to the xCloud team, I hope they become the leading platform in the segment, it has all the potential to achieve it!
Brian Geovanny
I've been with runcloud for the last 3 years. However, after trying xcloud for the last month, I'm switching over. They are on a roll with their setup.
Kevin Pineda
I'm moving my servers to xCloud, a cloud control panel by M Asif Rahman and the WPDeveloper team. Their roadmap looks interesting and no, there are no team mates nor API limits with xCloud! #xCloud #wordpress #hosting
Leo Koo
How Cloud Nine Web Elevated Client Experience While Streamlining Hosting Operations using xCloud
Ed Ellingham
xCloud is like having an expert server team on call — without the big agency costs. It's given me back my time and given my clients peace of mind. Highly recommended for freelancers and small teams who want reliable performance and security.
Dumitru Butucel
xCloud isn't just a solution. It's like one of that friend who got your back when you screw things up pretty bad.
Waqar Ahmed
Trust me when I say, once people explore the potential of xCloud they gonna switch from other panels, just keep delivering the best tech, lots of love for the team 😍😍
Rahul Singh
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.
Massimo Villa
Came from cloudways then to runcloud then to xcloud. Looks like I'm staying here.
Gerson El
I've recently taken all of my Vultr-hosted sites and gotten rid of cPanel for them to substitute it with xCloud. I have to say, I'm really impressed with xCloud so far! The interface is definitely the standout feature for me.
Tony Lewis
I came from Cloudways and won't go back. Highly impressed with xCloud. Glad I gave them a chance.
Jared McDowell
I like xCloud better than RunCloud, but one thing I'll point out is that some years ago RunCloud was hungry for business, the support was outstanding, and the community was active and helped each other. Maybe it was sold, there was a change in management, or they stopped being hungry, but the quality of the RunCloud offering declined and it hasn't been moving forward quickly. My point is that currently the xCloud team has the edge and it is theirs to keep or lose
David McCan
How Kevin Heinrichs Cut Hosting Costs by 84% While Running WooCommerce & Node.js Sites Efficiently
Kevin Heinrichs
I had 150 sites on cloudways and am in the process of moving them to xcloud. Much faster and better priced.
Dan Spinoza
Dear xCloud Team, I have been using xCloud for some time now and am genuinely impressed with its capabilities and the flexibility it offers by allowing users to bring their own VPS for management. It's a fantastic service, and my experience so far has been very positive. Successful migrated 5 sites on a single server. Xcloud migration tool worked great. There were few hiccups with security plugin like MalCare but disabling the plugin prior to migration worked just fine.
Rahil Maknojia
Came from runcloud. Tried xcloud and never came back.
Karl Fanega
How Advanced Web Strategies Saved Over $2,000 & Recovered 56 Hours per Month Managing 70+ Client Websites
Gary Moody
xCloud gave me what no other hosting platform could: the flexibility of a VPS with the convenience of managed WordPress. As a solo founder running an entire business on one server, that combination is an important unfair advantage.
Jorge de los Reyes Martínez
I use Server Avatar and xCloud and I'll sooner use xCloud than Server Avatar personally.
Jay Pagano
How Newman Web Solutions Ensured Perfect Uptime and Seamless Scaling For 120+ WordPress Sites with xCloud
Lori Newman
I too have moved over to xCloud. It's pretty sweet. One click n8n and uptime Kuma apps
John Aperture
I went from Cloudways to xCloud. No intention on switching in the foreseeable future.
Blaine Moore

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is PicoShare?

PicoShare is an open-source, minimalist self-hosted service for sharing files through direct links, with expiration controls and shared-secret upload access. This template deploys PicoShare version 1.5.4.

Is PicoShare free?

Yes — PicoShare is free and open source under the GNU Affero General Public License v3 or later (AGPL-3.0-or-later). What you pay xCloud for is the dedicated server it runs on and the management around it, not the software itself.

Can I self-host PicoShare?

Yes — that is exactly what this template deploys. It brings up the official PicoShare image, pinned by immutable digest, mounts a persistent data volume, generates a shared secret, and publishes it over HTTPS on your domain in minutes instead of assembled by hand.

How do I sign in?

xCloud generates a single 32-character shared secret at install time, shown once in your Credentials panel alongside the application URL. Open that URL and sign in with the shared secret — there are no separate per-user accounts.

Can I set files to expire?

Yes. PicoShare lets you set an expiration policy per upload so a temporary share stops working on its own, instead of staying reachable indefinitely.

What does xCloud configure automatically?

The pinned PicoShare image, the persistent data volume, the generated shared secret, the domain and the HTTPS route. The application container is never given a public port — only xCloud's reverse proxy is reachable from the internet.

How do I rotate the shared secret?

Update PS_SHARED_SECRET in the site's Environment editor, then use xCloud Restart. Keep the old value until the restart completes and you've verified sign-in and existing link access with the new one — don't treat a secret change as safe until that check passes.

What should I back up?

The complete picoshare_data volume, as one unit — it holds both the SQLite database (store.db) and every uploaded file together, so a partial backup of only part of it is not a recoverable PicoShare backup.

Does xCloud automatically back up or update PicoShare?

No. The template pins PicoShare by immutable digest; a catalog re-sync affects new installations only. Before changing the pinned image, review upstream release notes, take a backup of picoshare_data, and verify upload, download, expiration and restart behavior against the new version.

What are the server requirements, and why does this page sell 6 GB?

The template manifest asks for 512 MB of RAM, one CPU core and 10 GB of disk as a floor for PicoShare. This page sells the 6 GB tier as the entry rung, with real headroom above that floor for retained uploads and their backups.

What survives a restart?

Everything on picoshare_data, because it is a persistent named volume. Restarting the container does not touch the SQLite database or any uploaded file on it.

Does PicoShare support multiple user accounts?

No. Access is gated by the one shared secret generated at install time — there is no multi-user account system, SSO or per-user permissions in this template.

Is xCloud officially partnered with PicoShare?

No. No official partnership or endorsement between xCloud and the PicoShare project has been verified. This is a deployment and server-management option for the open-source PicoShare project.

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.

Ready to Run Your Own File Sharing Link?

Connect your first server in minutes. No credit card required, and no plan you have to grow into.