TL;DR
Kodbox is an open-source, self-hosted web file manager and integrated web IDE that supports multi-cloud mounting and in-browser code editing. It runs on PHP-based servers, is distributed under GPLv3, and offers clients for web, mobile and desktop.
What happened
Kodbox is an open-source project that provides a browser-based file manager and a built-in code editor so users can manage files and develop sites directly from a web interface. The software supports mounting and fusing multiple storage backends — including local disks, FTP, WebDAV and S3-compatible providers as well as Alibaba OSS, Tencent COS, Qiniu and MinIO — enabling cross-cloud file management, backup and elastic expansion. It includes Windows-like file operations, online preview and editing for many document and media formats (including office, Photoshop/Illustrator and CAD previews), version history, deduplication via a COW mechanism and detailed permission and audit controls. Kodbox ships with mobile apps, desktop clients and WebDAV mounting, an extensible plug-in center and an SDK for integration. The project recommends a PHP-enabled server and provides install instructions via git or a downloaded archive; it is released under the GPLv3 license.
Why it matters
- Gives organizations a self-hosted alternative to third-party cloud drives, keeping data under direct control.
- Multi-storage fusion can simplify cross-cloud workflows and backups by letting different backends be managed from one interface.
- Built-in web IDE and rich preview support reduce the need to download files or run local editors for common tasks.
- Fine-grained permissions, audit logs and versioning support make it applicable for team collaboration and regulated environments.
Key facts
- License: Distributed under the GPLv3 license.
- Deployment: Can run on Windows, Linux and macOS servers; minimal PHP 5.x support noted and a suggested stack (php8.1 + MySQL 5.7 + Redis) is provided.
- Storage support: Local disk, FTP, WebDAV, Alibaba Cloud OSS, Tencent COS, Qiniu, MinIO, S3-compatible endpoints and others via multi-cloud fusion mounting.
- Clients and mounting: Web, H5, iOS, Android, PC clients available; supports WebDAV mounting and desktop mounting for local-like access.
- File handling: Windows-style file operations, drag-and-drop, global selection, virtual lists for large directories and online compression/decompression.
- Editor and formats: Integrated text/code editor (syntax highlighting for ~120 languages), markdown editor with live preview, and browser preview/editing for hundreds of formats including Office, PDF, PSD, AI and CAD.
- Collaboration and control: Document tagging, discussion threads, editing locks, file history/versioning, fine-grained permission rules, sharing links with passwords and expirations.
- Data protection and audit: Features include data backup/system restore, login/device controls, operation logs, dynamic security watermark and sensitive word filtering.
- Extensibility: Plug-in center with 30+ enterprise plugin examples (AD, enterprise WeChat, DingTalk) and an SDK for embedding file capabilities into other systems.
- Installation options: Repository clone or zip download with simple file permission commands shown in project docs.
What to watch next
- Future roadmap and development cadence: not confirmed in the source.
- Independent security audits or vulnerability disclosures for the project: not confirmed in the source.
- Availability of paid enterprise support or managed hosting options: not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Self-hosted: Software deployed and operated on infrastructure controlled by the user or organization rather than provided as a managed service.
- Web IDE: An integrated development environment that runs in a web browser, enabling code editing, previewing and basic project workflows without local tooling.
- WebDAV: An extension to HTTP that allows clients to perform remote web content authoring operations, often used to mount remote storage as a filesystem.
- COW (Copy-On-Write) deduplication: A storage technique where identical file data is stored once and new writes create separate copies only when changes occur, reducing redundant storage.
- GPLv3: A widely used open-source license that allows use, modification and distribution of software but requires derivative works to be released under the same license.
Reader FAQ
Under what license is Kodbox released?
Kodbox is distributed under the GPLv3 license.
What server requirements are needed to run Kodbox?
The source lists PHP 5.3+ compatibility and also suggests a stack (php8.1 + MySQL 5.7 + Redis) as recommended — detailed configuration notes are in the project docs.
How can I install Kodbox?
The project provides examples to clone the repository via git or download a zip, then set file permissions; full install steps are in the project documentation.
Is there an official enterprise support plan?
not confirmed in the source
English | 中文文档 kodbox Multi-cloud • Filemanager • Collaboration Home • Download • Doc • Changelog kodbox is a file manager for web. It is also a web code editor,…
Sources
- Kodbox: Open-source cloud desktop with multi-storage fusion and web IDE
- KodBox
- Kodbox: Open-source cloud desktop with multi-storage …
- KodBox – ASUSTOR NAS
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