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Sharing Model

How file sharing works in TMA Cloud.

Overview​

Share links provide public access to files and folders without requiring authentication.

  • Token: Cryptographically secure random token
  • Files: One or more files/folders linked
  • Expiration: Configurable expiration (7 days, 30 days, or never).
  • Owner: User who created the share

Access Control​

  • Public Access: No authentication required
  • Token-Based: Access via unique token
  • Read-Only: Share links provide read access only
  • Download: Files can be downloaded via share link

Single File Share​

Share a single file with a unique link.

Folder Share​

Share entire folders, including all contents.

Multiple Files Share​

Link multiple files to a single share link.

Default Format​

http://your-domain.com/s/{token}

Custom Share Domain​

Configure a custom share base URL in Settings → Share Base URL (admin only).

When configured:

http://share.your-domain.com/s/{token}

Share domain middleware blocks all routes except /s/*, /health, and /metrics.

Expiry Options​

When creating or re-sharing a link, the user selects one of:

  • 7 days (default)
  • 30 days
  • No expiration

Re-sharing an existing link updates its expiry to the newly selected value.

  • Expired links return 410 Gone on the public page with an "Link expired" message
  • The Shared page in the file manager still lists expired files with a red clock icon and "Link expired" label
  • Downloads and ZIP exports for expired links are blocked with the same 410 response

Auto-Cleanup​

A background job removes expired share links from the database. It runs once at server startup and then every 7 days. Cleanup deletes the share_links and share_link_files rows and sets shared = false on files that no longer have an active share link.

Share Management​

Viewing Shares​

  • Go to the Shared section in the file manager
  • Active links show the green share icon
  • Expired links show a red clock icon and "Link expired" label
  • Copy share links from the share modal

Revoking Shares​

  • Unshare via context menu or toolbar
  • Immediate access revocation
  • Link becomes invalid

Security Considerations​

  • Tokens are cryptographically secure
  • No authentication required (by design)
  • Expiration enforced on every access (not just cleanup)
  • Redis cache TTL is capped at the link's remaining lifetime to prevent stale access
  • Share domain isolation (optional)