Glossary

This page explains the words you meet in Floe and in these docs, in one or two plain sentences each. Every entry ends with a link to the page that covers the subject properly.

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The short version

Most of Floe comes down to six of these words. A share link or a room code brings the other person into a room on Floe’s signaling server. The two devices then connect, by a direct connection or through a relay, and the files never pass through the signaling server.

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Words you see in Floe

Labels on screen, and the names Floe gives to what it shows you.

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.floe-blocked file

A file from a request link that Floe Desktop saved with .floe-blocked added to its name, so File Explorer leaves it alone. Floe does this to the few file types that File Explorer opens by itself, such as shortcuts (.lnk and .url). Delete it if you did not expect it, and rename it back only if you did and you trust the sender. See Request links.

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.part file

A file that Floe Desktop or the floe CLI is still receiving, named like report.pdf.part. It gets its real name only once it is complete and has passed its checks. Anything in the folder without .part is whole. See Receiving files.

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Auto-accept

A check on one request link in Floe Desktop that lets files through that link save without the Accept step. It is off on every new link, and an unusual drop still asks first. See Request links.

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badge

The dot and word at the top right of the transfer card. In the web app it reads Offline, Ready, Direct or Relay, and the last two tell you which way your files travel. See Sending files.

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drop

One sending through a request link: everything one person sends in one go. A request link takes one drop and is then used up. See Request links, or Sending through a request link if you are the one sending.

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Hide my IP

A setting that sends everything through the relay, so the other person sees the relay’s address and not yours. It limits a transfer to 2 GB. Floe Desktop calls it Hide my IP address, a request link’s page Hide my IP (relay only, 2 GB per drop), and the CLI --relay-only. See Relay fallback.

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Network relay fallback

The checkbox on the web app’s sending page that lets Floe use the relay when a direct connection is not possible. It is checked by default, and shows only until you create the link. These docs also call it relay fallback, and the CLI’s --no-relay is its nearest equivalent. See Sending files.

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peer

The other device in a transfer. The web app’s status line uses the word: “Waiting for peer” means your page is waiting for the other device to join. See Sending files.

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request link

A link made in Floe Desktop that works the other way around: whoever opens it sends files to the PC that made it. It has /r/ in its address and takes one drop. See Request links.

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room code

Three words, such as olive-tiger-castle, that the receiver can type in place of a link. floe send and Floe Desktop show one, and it works for 10 minutes at most. The web app neither makes nor accepts room codes. See How a transfer works.

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SHA-256 matched

What Floe shows when every file of a transfer matched the SHA-256 the sender computed. It means the files arrived intact, not that they are safe to open. The CLI prints the words. The web app’s main page and Floe Desktop show a green check mark in place of them, and a screen reader reads it as “SHA-256 matched”. See File checks.

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share link

The web address a sender gives the receiver. Opening it joins that one transfer, and it works only while the sender is still connected. See Sending files.

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How a transfer travels

The ideas behind where your files go and who can see what.

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direct connection

A connection straight from one device to the other, with no server carrying the files. Floe sets no size limit on it, and most transfers are direct. See Direct connections.

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encrypted end to end

Scrambled on your device and unscrambled only on the other person’s, so nothing in between can read your files. That includes Floe’s own servers, and every transfer works this way. See Encryption.

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Floe’s server / signaling server

The server that introduces two devices so they can connect to each other. It passes their connection details and never receives your files. These docs call it Floe’s server or the signaling server. See How a transfer works.

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in-app browser

The small browser built into another app, such as Instagram or Facebook, that opens links inside that app. File transfers work poorly there, so Floe asks you to open the link in your own browser. See Receiving files.

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IP address

The number that identifies your connection on the internet. It can show your internet provider and roughly where you are. On a direct connection the other person’s device learns it. See Known limitations.

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peer-to-peer

Sent from one device to the other, with no server in between that stores the files or can read them. Floe’s server only introduces the two devices. See How a transfer works.

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relay / TURN relay

A server both devices can reach that passes the encrypted data along when they cannot connect directly. It cannot read the files, and a transfer through it is limited to 2 GB. Relay, TURN relay, relay fallback, Network relay fallback, Hide my IP and --relay-only all refer to this one server: some name it, and some are the settings that allow or require it. See Relay fallback.

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room / room id

The private meeting point on Floe’s server for one transfer. It holds two devices, one sender and one receiver, and turns a third away. Its room id is a long random code, and a share link carries it after the #. Whoever has the room id can join while the room has a free place, so it is the part of the link to keep private. See How a transfer works.

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self-hosted

Run on your own server instead of on floe.one. You run Floe’s server and the web app yourself, and these docs call that setup an instance. The CLI and Floe Desktop can be pointed at it. See Self-hosting overview.

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SHA-256

A fingerprint worked out from a file’s contents. When the sender’s and the receiver’s fingerprints match, the file arrived unchanged. Floe never shows the value itself, only whether every file matched. See File checks.

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Technical terms

Names you can skip until an error message or a setup page uses one.

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CLI

Short for command-line interface: a program you use by typing commands in a terminal. Floe’s is the floe command, for macOS, Windows and Linux. See Install the CLI.

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data channel

The encrypted connection between the two devices that carries the files. It is part of WebRTC, and the signaling server is not part of it. See Encryption.

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Docker Compose

A tool that starts a set of packaged programs with one command, from one settings file. It is the standard way to run your own Floe. See Docker quickstart.

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DTLS

The encryption that protects a WebRTC connection. It is the protection behind https web addresses, called TLS, adapted to this kind of connection. See Encryption.

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ICE

The step in which the two devices try the network paths between them and keep one that works. Its result decides whether a transfer is direct or relayed. See Direct connections.

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mark of the web

The tag Windows puts on a file that came from the internet, so that it takes care before opening it. Floe Desktop and the CLI put it on every file they receive on Windows, where the drive can keep it. See Receiving files.

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NAT

The way a router lets many devices share one public address. Because of it, two devices usually cannot reach each other without help, which is what STUN and the relay are for. Carrier-grade NAT is the same done by a provider for many customers at once, as some mobile carriers do, and it can force the relay. See Direct connections.

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package manager

A tool that installs and updates programs for you, such as Homebrew, winget or Scoop. It is the fastest way to install the floe CLI. See Install the CLI.

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PATH

The list of folders your terminal searches when you type a command name. floe runs by name only when its folder is on that list. See Troubleshooting.

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rate limit

A cap on how many requests one network address may make in a set time, 60 seconds for most. Past it, Floe’s server refuses more until earlier requests are old enough, so it clears by itself. See Limits.

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reverse proxy

A web server, such as Caddy or nginx, placed in front of Floe that receives visitors’ requests and passes them on. A self-hosted Floe in production normally sits behind one. See Reverse proxy.

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SmartScreen

The Windows warning shown the first time you run a program that carries no publisher’s signature. Floe Desktop from GitHub shows it, and the Microsoft Store version does not. See Install the desktop app.

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STUN

A helper server that tells a device what its address looks like from the internet, so two devices can try to connect directly. It never sees a file. See Direct connections.

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TURN

The technical name for the kind of relay Floe uses. Where these docs say TURN or TURN relay, they mean the relay. See Relay fallback.

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URL fragment

The part of a web address after the #. A browser does not send it when it requests a page, so the room id Floe keeps there stays out of web server logs. See Security and privacy.

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WebRTC

The technology, built into browsers, that connects two devices to each other and encrypts what passes between them. Floe uses it to carry your files, in the web app, Floe Desktop and the CLI alike. See How a transfer works.

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WebSocket

A connection that stays open so a program and a server can send each other messages at any time. The CLI and Floe Desktop use one to talk to Floe’s server, and the web app uses a library called Socket.IO for the same job. See Architecture.

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WebView2

A Microsoft component that Floe Desktop uses to draw its window. Windows 11 includes it, and Floe offers to install it when it is missing. See Install the desktop app.