TAZ

Temporary Autonomous Zone - A lightweight, cross-platform web-based file manager for instant file sharing and management.

Overview

TAZ is a simple, self-contained web application that allows you to quickly set up a file management interface on any supported device. Perfect for temporary file sharing, collaborative work environments, or when you need instant access to files across different devices on a network.

Features

• 🌐 Web-based interface - Access from any browser
• 📁 Full file management - Upload, download, create folders, rename, delete
• 💬 BBS messaging system - Optional bulletin board for team communication
• 🔒 Optional password protection - Secure write operations
• 🔗 External links - Add custom links to your file manager homepage
• 📱 Responsive design - Works on desktop and mobile
• ⚡ Zero dependencies - Single binary deployment
• 🖥️ Cross-platform - Available for multiple operating systems
• 📝 Logging support - Optional request logging to file or stderr

Quick Start

Download and Run

1. Download the appropriate binary for your platform from the Releases page
2. Make it executable (Unix-like systems):

   chmod +x taz

3. Run with default settings:

   ./taz

4. Open your browser to http://localhost:35248

Basic Usage Examples

Simple file server

./taz -root /path/to/your/files

Password-protected with custom port

./taz -password mypassword -web-port 8080

With BBS messaging system

./taz -bbs messages.db

Full-featured setup with command-line flags

./taz \
  -password secret \
  -bbs team-messages.db \
  -url "Documentation|https://example.com/docs" \
  -url "Team Chat|https://chat.example.com" \
  -log \
  -log-file access.log

Using a configuration file

Create a config.json file with your settings:

{
  "password": "secret",
  "bbs": "team-messages.db",
  "url": [
    "Documentation|https://example.com/docs",
    "Team Chat|https://chat.example.com"
  ],
  "log": true,
  "log_file": "access.log"
}

Then run TAZ, pointing it to your config file:

./taz -config config.json

Listen on all interfaces

./taz -web-host 0.0.0.0 -web-port 8080

Command Line Options

Option	Default	Description
-web-host	localhost	Host address to listen on
-web-port	35248	Port for the web server
-password	(empty)	Password for write operations
-root	files	Root directory for file management
-bbs	(empty)	Path to SQLite database for BBS messaging (disabled if not provided)
-log	false	Enable request logging
-log-file	(empty)	Path to log file (uses stderr if empty)
-url	(none)	External links (format: Name|URL), can be used multiple times
-config	(empty)	Path to a JSON configuration file. See details below.

Using a Configuration File (-config)

For complex setups, you can manage all command-line options using a JSON configuration file. This is useful for creating reusable and easily shareable configurations.

To use a configuration file, pass its path to the -config flag:

./taz -config my_settings.json

In the JSON file, the option names are the same as the command-line flags, but with hyphens (-) replaced by underscores (_).

Example config.json:

{
  "web_host": "0.0.0.0",
  "web_port": 8080,
  "password": "secret",
  "root": "/shared/team-files",
  "bbs": "team-board.db",
  "log": true,
  "log_file": "taz_access.log",
  "url": [
    "Documentation|https://example.com/docs",
    "Team Chat|https://chat.example.com"
  ]
}

Note: Any options passed directly on the command line will override the values specified in the configuration file. For example:

# The web port will be 9090, overriding the value in the config file.
./taz -config config.json -web-port 9090

BBS Messaging System

The BBS (Bulletin Board System) feature provides a simple messaging interface for team communication:

• Enable BBS: Use the -bbs flag with a database file path (e.g., -bbs messages.db)
• Database: Uses SQLite to store messages persistently
• Default behavior: BBS is disabled when no database path is provided
• Access: Available through the web interface alongside file management

Example BBS usage:

# Enable BBS with custom database
./taz -bbs team-board.db 

# BBS disabled (default behavior)
./taz -root /shared/files

External Links

You can add custom links to the homepage using the -url flag multiple times:

./taz \
  -url "Company Intranet|http://intranet.company.com" \
  -url "Project Repository|https://github.com/user/project" \
  -url "https://eja.tv"  # URL without custom name

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/eja/taz.git
cd taz
make