Overview

Web based File Explorer Modern, self-hosted file explorer The project has 842 GitHub stars and is licensed under GPL-3.0.

Key Features

Source: GitHub README

Secure by default: local users & groups, optional OIDC SSO.
Fast previews: images, videos, PDFs, thumbnails (FFmpeg), and inline players.
Built-in editor: edit text/code with syntax highlighting (extensible via EDITOR_EXTENSIONS).
Sharing workflows: link-based sharing (read-only/read-write), guest access, “Shared with me”.
Smart search: ripgrep-backed filename + content search with tunable limits.
Modern UX: grid/list/column views, drag-and-drop, context menus, keyboard shortcuts.
Docker-native: single image, mount volumes under /mnt, reverse-proxy friendly via PUBLIC_URL.

Getting Started

Source: GitHub README

services:
  nextexplorer:
    image: nxzai/explorer:latest
    container_name: nextexplorer
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - '3000:3000'
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config
      - ./cache:/cache
      # Each /mnt/ mount becomes a top-level volume in the UI
      - /path/to/your/files:/mnt/Files
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - PUBLIC_URL=http://localhost:3000

services:
  nextexplorer:
    image: nxzai/explorer:latest
    container_name: nextexplorer
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - '3000:3000'
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config # contains config files, db, settings etc.
      - ./cache:/cache # contains thumbnail cache and other files which are generated automatically

      # Each /mnt/ mount becomes a top-level volume in the UI
      - /path/to/your/files:/mnt/Files

    environment:
      # Required basics
      NODE_ENV: production # Set to `production` for the Docker image defaults.
      PORT: '3000' # Port the Express API + frontend listen on *inside* the container.
      PUBLIC_URL: 'http://localhost:3000' # External URL (no trailing slash); drives cookies, CORS defaults, and derived callback URLs. Accessing the app via a different URL may cause CORS/cookie/OIDC issues.


      # Reverse proxy / networking (optional)
      # TRUST_PROXY: "loopback,uniquelocal" # Express trust proxy config; set when running behind a reverse proxy (often auto-derived when `PUBLIC_URL` is set).
      # CORS_ORIGINS: "" # Comma-separated allowed origins; aliases: `CORS_ORIGIN`, `ALLOWED_ORIGINS` (defaults to `PUBLIC_URL` origin when set).

      # Logging & debugging (optional)
      # LOG_LEVEL: "info" # `trace|debug|info|warn|error` (defaults to `debug` when `DEBUG=true`).
      # DEBUG: "false" # When `true`, forces `LOG_LEVEL=debug` and enables more verbose diagnostics.
      # ENABLE_HTTP_LOGGING: "false" # When `true`, logs HTTP requests (recommended with centralized logs in production).

      # Paths & volumes (optional)
      # VOLUME_ROOT: "/mnt" # Root directory that houses all mounted volumes. App will display all directores inside this directory as volumes.
      # CONFIG_DIR: "/config" # Location for SQLite, `app-config.json`, extensions, and settings.
      # CACHE_DIR: "/cache" # Location for thumbnails, ripgrep indexes, and temporary data.
      # USER_ROOT: "/mnt/_users" # Root directory for per-user personal folders (defaults to `/_users` when unset). Make sure you persist this path if you use USER_DIR_ENABLED.

      # Authentication (optional)
      # AUTH_MODE: "both" # `local|oidc|both|disabled` what authentication methods you want to enable.
      # AUTH_ENABLED: "true" # Deprecated: use `AUTH_MODE=disabled` to skip login.
      # SESSION_SECRET: "please-change-me" # Session cookie secret (alias: `AUTH_SESSION_SECRET`); set a long, random, stable value (>= 32 chars) to keep sessions valid across restarts/replicas.
      # AUTH_MAX_FAILED: "5" # Failed login attempts before temporary lockout.
      # AUTH_LOCK_MINUTES: "15" # Lockout duration (minutes) when max failures reached.
      # AUTH_ADMIN_EMAIL: "" # First-run bootstrap (local auth): when set with `AUTH_ADMIN_PASSWORD`, creates an admin user on startup and skips setup.
      # AUTH_ADMIN_PASSWORD: "" # Password for `AUTH_ADMIN_EMAIL` bootstrap; overrides/resets password on startup if the user already exists.

      # OIDC & SSO (optional)
      # OIDC_ENABLED: "false" # Enable Express OpenID Connect auth flow.
      # OIDC_ISSUER: "https://auth.example.com/application/o/next/" # IdP issuer URL (discovery).
      # OIDC_AUTHORIZATION_URL: "" # Optional discovery override.
      # OIDC_TOKEN_URL: "" # Optional discovery override.
      # OIDC_USERINFO_URL: "" # Optional discovery override.
      # OIDC_CLIENT_ID: "nextexplorer" # IdP client ID.
      # OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET: "" # IdP client secret.
      # OIDC_CALLBACK_URL: "http://localhost:3000/callback" # Explicit callback URL (defaults to `$\{PUBLIC_URL\}/callback` when `PUBLIC_URL` is set).
      # OIDC_SCOPES: "openid profile email" # Add `groups` to propagate group claims.
      # OIDC_ADMIN_GROUPS: "" # Space/comma-separated group names that grant admin rights (matched in `groups`, `roles`, or `entitlements`).
      # OIDC_REQUIRE_EMAIL_VERIFIED: "false" # When `true`, requires IdP to verify user email before allowing user creation/auto-linking.
      # OIDC_AUTO_CREATE_USERS: "true" # When `false`, denies OIDC login unless the user already exists in the DB.

      # Feature toggles (optional)
      # SEARCH_DEEP: "false" # Enables deep content search (ripgrep used when `SEARCH_RIPGREP=true`).
      # SEARCH_RIPGREP: "true" # Prefer ripgrep for fast searches; fallback search used when unavailable.
      # SEARCH_MAX_FILESIZE: "" # Skip ripgrep for files larger than this (e.g., `5MB`).
      # SHOW_VOLUME_USAGE: "false" # Show volume usage badges in the sidebar.
      # USER_DIR_ENABLED: "false" # Enables per-user “My Files” spaces under `USER_ROOT`.
      # USER_VOLUMES: "false" # Restrict non-admin users to only volumes assigned by an admin.
      # SKIP_HOME: "false" # When `true`, `/browse/` redirects into the first volume.

      # Editor (optional)
      # EDITOR_EXTENSIONS: "" # Extra file extensions supported by the inline editor (comma-separated, added to built-in defaults).

      # OnlyOffice & thumbnails (optional)
      # ONLYOFFICE_URL: "" # Public URL for OnlyOffice Document Server (must reach your app's `PUBLIC_URL`).
      # ONLYOFFICE_SECRET: "" # JWT secret shared with OnlyOffice Document Server for `/api/onlyoffice`.
      # ONLYOFFICE_LANG: "en" # Language code for the editor UI.
      # ONLYOFFICE_FORCE_SAVE: "false" # When `true`, OnlyOffice forces users to save via the editor UI.
      # ONLYOFFICE_FILE_EXTENSIONS: "" # Extra file extensions to surface to the Document Server.
      # FFMPEG_PATH: "" # Point to a custom ffmpeg binary (defaults to bundled binary).
      # FFPROBE_PATH: "" # Point to a custom ffprobe binary (defaults to bundled binary).

      # Container user mapping (optional)
      # PUID: "1000" # Map container processes to host UID so created files have consistent ownership.
      # PGID: "1000" # Map container processes to host GID so created files have consistent ownership.

Normalized Features

Source: tool-features-normalized.json

docker, docker compose, rest api, sqlite, sso.

Deploy

Docker

Self-host with Docker Compose

Coolify

One-click via Coolify panel

Elestio

Managed hosting from $9/mo

PikaPods

Simple managed hosting

Features

Authentication & Access

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Integrations & APIs

REST API

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