DropVault is a self-contained PHP script for hosting your own file sharing page: visitors upload files and get a shareable link, while you manage everything from a simple admin dashboard.
What it does
Visitors drag and drop a file (or pick it with the file dialog), optionally set a password, an expiry date, a maximum number of downloads, and a short note for the recipient. Uploaded files are stored on disk; metadata (links, limits, analytics) lives in an SQLite database file—no MySQL or external database server to install.
The download page enforces expiry and limits, supports password-protected files, and can show a clean landing page before download. Share links can use short paths like /dl/{id} when URL rewriting is available (Apache .htaccess included), with an automatic fallback to download.php?id=… if needed.
Admin dashboard
Log in to review all uploads, copy share links, see download counts, and delete files. Change the default admin password in configuration before going live.
Design & UX
Modern dark UI with responsive layout: upload area on larger screens sits beside a “Your links” panel for the current session (copy links and see expiry countdowns without leaving the page).
Who it’s for
Ideal for small teams, agencies, studios, or anyone who wants simple branded file drops without SaaS lock-in, on shared hosting, VPS, or platforms like Railway as long as PHP can write to the uploads folder and use SQLite.

• Drag-and-drop and browse upload with progress indicator
• Optional password per file (verified on download)
• Optional expiry date and maximum downloads
• Optional note for the recipient
• SQLite storage (single .db file); no separate database server
• Admin dashboard: list files, copy links, delete, view stats
• Blocked dangerous extensions (configurable); optional allow-list for extensions
• Configurable max upload size
• Pretty share URLs (/dl/{id}) with Apache rewrite + fallback URL mode
• Session “recent links” panel with copy-to-clipboard and expiry countdown
• Responsive, modern dark interface (HTML/CSS/JS, no heavy framework required)
• HTTPS-friendly live demo available (configure BASE_URL for your domain)

• PHP 8.0 or higher (uses str_starts_with, str_contains, etc.)
• PDO SQLite extension enabled (pdo_sqlite)
• Web server with PHP (Apache, nginx + PHP-FPM, or compatible hosting)
• Writable uploads/ directory (files + SQLite database)
• mod_rewrite optional  for /dl/{id} short URLs; otherwise disable pretty URLs in config
• Modern browser for the uploader UI (clipboard API where supported)

1. Unzip the package and upload the project folder to your web root (or a subdirectory).
2. Ensure the uploads/ directory is writable by the web server (e.g. 755 or 775 depending on host).
3. Edit includes/config.php: set BASE_URL to your real site URL (with trailing slash as defined in the file), increase ADMIN_PASSWORD, and adjust MAX_FILE_SIZE, BLOCKED_EXTENSIONS, and PRETTY_DOWNLOAD_URL if you are on nginx without rewrite rules.
4. If the app is in a subfolder, set Apache RewriteBase in .htaccess to match that path.
5. Open index.php in the browser to upload; open dashboard.php for administration.
6. For production, use HTTPS and strong passwords only.