Lightning P2P
Open-source file transfer with auditable release artifacts.
Open source
Open-source file transfer with auditable release artifacts.
Direct answer
Lightning P2P is an Apache-2.0 open-source file transfer app built with Rust, Tauri, React, iroh, QUIC, iroh-blobs, and BLAKE3, with NOTICE and CITATION.cff metadata.
Lightning P2P publishes its Rust, Tauri, React, TypeScript, Android, release, security, and docs work in the open under Apache-2.0.
Use it, fork it, benchmark it, cite it, or contribute improvements. The repository includes a NOTICE file, CITATION.cff, contribution guide, security policy, and issue templates.
Open source matters for file transfer because users can inspect the trust boundary: how tickets are created, how bytes move, how files are written, and how releases are packaged.
The project keeps core transfer behavior in Rust, uses Tauri IPC instead of an HTTP server, and keeps React focused on presentation. The architecture docs explain those boundaries so contributors can review changes without reverse-engineering the repo.
Apache-2.0 licensing supports reuse while preserving license and notice requirements. CITATION.cff gives researchers and benchmark authors a standard way to cite the repository.
Download the recommended Velopack one-click installer, the classic NSIS setup installer, or the MSI installer. Android users can sideload LightningP2P-android-latest.apk and verify it with SHA256SUMS-android.txt. Signing status, SmartScreen notes, Android sideload notes, and SHA256 checksums are available on GitHub Releases. App version: v0.5.1.
Key facts
- Product
- Lightning P2P
- Category
- peer-to-peer file transfer app
- Platform
- Windows stable release, Android 10+ sideload release
- Stable release
- v0.4.6
- Experimental release
- v0.5.1 speed modes + reliability (carries v0.5.0 BLE/NFC)
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Account required
- no
- Cloud upload
- no
- Artificial file-size cap
- no
- Transfer model
- direct-first P2P
- Transport
- iroh / QUIC
- Verification
- BLAKE3
- Source code
- GitHub
- Cost
- free
Important caveats
- Sender must stay online until the receiver finishes.
- Tickets are capability tokens and should be treated as secrets.
- Relay fallback helps connectivity, but it is not cloud storage.
- Browser website is receive handoff and marketing, not the transfer engine.
- Public speed leadership claims require repeatable benchmark results.
Frequently asked questions
- What license does Lightning P2P use?
- Lightning P2P is licensed under Apache-2.0 and includes a NOTICE file for attribution preservation.
- Can I cite Lightning P2P in research?
- Yes. The repository includes CITATION.cff so GitHub can show a Cite this repository action.
- Where should contributors start?
- Start with CONTRIBUTING.md, docs/ARCHITECTURE.md, and the labeled good first issues.