Bit4.Me Blog

Edit Mode, on my files?!

New Edit Mode released today -- now, when you upload a file, you'll get the link you're used to, but you'll also receive an "Edit" link.

This is in-development right now, but I thought what is there is cool enough to release right away.

How we secure your edit link:

• We generate a unique, 128-bit code for each file based on file properties, content, user information as well as a good dose of entropy
• We then use industry-standard password hashing (for the nerds, bcrypt using PHP's password_hash() function to store it on our end -- that means that if somebody were to gain read access to our database, recovery of your data is near impossible. It uses the latest hashing algorithm as well as a unique salt for each indivdual file
• It is married to the individual file, we know people will get sneaky and assume the code can be used with any file ID. No sir.

So what can I do with an Edit link?

Today, a lot less than you'd want. You can view the settings you had when uploading it (using the extended hash, restricting it to your IP, as well as how much of the total download count is consumed -- and the duration remaining before the file expires. You can additionally see the disk space used, as if you care!

As we flesh out the interface, you can expect:

• Ability to remove the extended hash
• Ability to unrestrict the file by IP
• Modify duration of the file or file download count max
• Delete the file from our system

Keep an eye out for other great updates!

Dark mode? Whaaaa....

All the cool kids are doing it -- dark mode. I'm not 100% sold on the current dark mode I changed this site to, but it sure is nice to look at during the night. While I was in there, a few new items were added:

• Drag and Drop file uploads -- makes it a bit easier than reaching for the upload file button each time.
• Upload Options were moved from the upload pane to a slide-out "drawer". We have a ton of ideas for things we can do to serve you better, and we need space to add those options.
  • Restrict Downloads to my IP is a notable example. Now, you can ensure that only those on the same physical network as you can download the file. Few notes on this before it sounds super secure: If you're at work and on VPN, your coworkers share your IP. Same if you're at school. Additionally, if you're trying to send something from your home network to your phone, ensure your wifi is on so you're not using the cellular network's IP. Finally -- IP addresses change occasionally, and there is no way to update what we have stored or change that setting.
• Code Fixes are coming along. With so much refactoring and removing of old functionality, there's a bunch of lingering issues I'm still clearing out of the site. If you experience any issues, please let me know by hitting up the contact us link at the bottom of the site.
• Blog Software Updates will make it easier for me to keep you updated and make them look better. No real software package change, just some updates with how I store the information and present it.

We're Back

This site has been down for... a while. Not like "oops outage", but close to maybe five years? I've had several itches to redo the interface, add functionality, etc and then walked away from it. For that reason, the code was a bit gross (and quite legacy, a lot of these files haven't seen a refresh since 2015).

The main thing I did was update all of the dependancies (bootstrap, etc), and then realign the code for that purpose. Next, I wiped the databases and files -- all of them. If you get a really low upload ID, that's why. After, I removed everything in the code base-- every single line, that was not contributing to the designed base functionality. This can inherently introduce some bugs and solve others.

I went and updated the Terms of Use so I'm protected if one of ya'll do some dumb shit on this site -- I also became a registered DMCA Designated Agent.

Lastly, I added this blog so I can keep you updated. If there's any questions or the like, shoot me a message at the bottom of the site!