File Browser on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for cloudimg support services.

File Browser - Production-Ready Web File Manager by cloudimg

Deploy a private, self-hosted web file manager on your own Azure infrastructure in minutes - no manual installation, no shared credentials, no third-party SaaS dependency. This image delivers File Browser 2.63.14 fully installed, hardened, and reverse-proxied behind nginx so you can browse, upload, download, edit, preview, and share files through a clean, fast web UI immediately after the VM boots.

Why This Image Instead of Manual Installation

Installing File Browser from source or via containers requires configuring a reverse proxy, generating TLS certificates, hardening default credentials, and maintaining updates. This image eliminates that operational burden:

• Pre-configured nginx reverse proxy for production-grade request handling without manual setup
• Per-instance security: no shared default password; a unique administrator credential is generated on every first boot
• Immediate time-to-value: sign in and manage files within minutes of the VM starting
• Ongoing expert support: 24/7 cloudimg engineers handle upgrades, TLS termination, and storage questions

Use Case: Team File Sharing Without Third-Party SaaS

A development team needs to distribute build artifacts, design assets, or project documentation internally without uploading sensitive files to external cloud storage. With this image, an engineer launches a VM, retrieves the generated admin password, creates user accounts with scoped directory access, and the team is sharing files through a browser-based UI, all within their own VNet. Share links let external collaborators download specific files without needing accounts, while per-user scopes keep internal directories isolated.

Application Stack

The File Browser server, a single Go binary serving both the API and the web UI, runs behind nginx as a reverse proxy. The datastore is an embedded SQLite database. The server binds to the loopback interface, so external traffic passes through nginx. The SQLite database and the browsed files live on a dedicated Azure data disk, separate from the operating system disk and re-provisioned with every VM.

Secure By Default

Authentication is required from the first request. On first boot, a one-shot service recreates the database, yielding a fresh per-instance session signing key, and creates a single administrator account with a unique password written to a root-only file. No shared or default credentials ship in the image. This eliminates the common risk of deploying upstream defaults with a well-known admin credential pair.

Multi-User Support

Create additional user accounts with individual scopes and permissions. Each user sees only the directories you assign, making this suitable for teams that need isolated workspaces within a single instance.

Getting Started

1. Launch the image on your chosen Azure VM size 2. Retrieve the generated administrator password from the root-only file on the VM 3. Access the web UI through your browser via the VM public IP or your domain 4. Sign in as administrator, upload files, create users, and generate share links

Licensing and Pricing

File Browser is licensed under Apache-2.0 and is free; there is no per-seat or per-file fee. The cloudimg charge of 0.04 US dollars per vCPU hour covers packaging, security patching, image maintenance, and 24/7 expert support. File Browser serves plain HTTP on port 80; terminate TLS in front of it with your own domain before production.

cloudimg Support

24/7 technical support by email covers deployment, upgrades, integrations, TLS termination, and storage configuration. Critical issues receive a one-hour average response time.

File Browser is a trademark of its respective owner. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.