nhako.com Nhako Beam How it worksSelf-host Download GitHub

Nhako Beam Send files straight between your own devices

No cloud, no size limit, no account. Free for Windows, Linux and Android.

Download

Version 1.0.0. Open source. All downloads

Laptop
Phone
Tablet
Desktop

This is the room from the app's Home screen, playing a demo. Drag the file onto a device, or tap one.

Phone to laptop. Desktop to tablet. Straight across.

See it in 16 seconds

No sound. Press play when you like.

Home is a room

The desktop app, with sample device names.

The Nhako Beam desktop app: a night room with a laptop, tablet, desktop and phone on the desk, and a Choose files button.
Your devices sit on the furniture. Drop files on them.
A file on its way to a laptop, with a dotted line from the lit trophy to the laptop and a progress card showing 26 percent.
While a file moves, the sleeper wakes and the trophy lights.
A request card: Laptop wants to send you 44 files, with Decline and Accept buttons.
From a new device, nothing arrives until you say yes.
The Your code sheet with a QR code and the words saffron, badge, ginger and pebble.
Pair a new device with a QR code or four plain words.

And on your phone

Real screens from Android, with the device names changed.

The same room on a phone, with Send files, Your code and Scan code along the bottom.
The same room, in your pocket.
The Devices sheet listing five devices, all marked Ready and ticked to stay in the room.
Choose who stays in your room.
Settings: device name, save location, Always ready to receive, and Who can send to me set to Your devices.
You decide who can send to you.

Three ways across, one app

Every connection is encrypted between your two devices. The app picks the best way by itself.

  1. Same Wi-Fi

    They find each other and connect directly.

  2. Across the internet

    Direct too, when both networks allow it.

  3. Through a relay

    When direct won't work. It can't read your files.

Prefer your own relay? Host it yourself

Or run your own server

By default the apps use n0's free public servers. Prefer your own? It takes a few commands.

  1. 1

    Get it and make a token

    Paste the token into .env as NHAKO_RELAY_TOKEN.

    git clone https://github.com/kimzam30/Nhako-beam.git
cd Nhako-beam/relay
cp .env.example .env
openssl rand -hex 24
  2. 2

    Start it

    You need Docker with Compose. The first build takes about 4 minutes.

    docker compose up -d --build
  3. 3

    Point your devices at it

    On each device: Settings, Connection, Your own. Save checks both servers first.

What it runs
  • Relay, TCP 3340Passes encrypted traffic when two devices can't connect directly. With a token, only your devices can use it.
  • Lookup, TCP 3341Lets devices find each other by device key. Records are signed by each device, so the server can't fake them.

Both are n0's own open source servers, iroh-relay and iroh-dns-server. They run read-only as a non-root user, in one small image.

Check that it works

From the same computer. The relay answers 200, and the lookup answers OK.

docker compose ps
curl http://localhost:3340/ping
curl http://localhost:3341/healthcheck

If other devices can't reach it, allow TCP 3340 and 3341 in this computer's firewall. Change the ports in .env if something else uses them.

Everyday commands
docker compose logs -f relay
docker compose up -d
docker compose down

These show what it's doing, apply a changed .env, and stop it. Lookup records are kept when it stops. Add -v to down to forget them.

From the command line

The nhako command line tool uses the same settings.

export NHAKO_RELAY_TOKEN=your-token
nhako server set http://your-computer:3340 --lookup http://your-computer:3341
nhako server check
nhako server public

The last line goes back to n0's servers.

Using it away from home

This setup is for your own computer or home network, and it uses plain HTTP. Your files are still encrypted end to end, but the token travels in the clear.

To use it from other networks, the server must be reachable from the internet over HTTPS. That needs a domain name, and either a server with a public address or port forwarding on your router. A rented server or a domain can cost money. The relay supports Let's Encrypt certificates, with ports 80, 443 and 7842/udp open.

The full guide and the server files on GitHub

Pair once, with four words

  1. Open the app on both devices.
  2. Your code on one, Enter code or scan on the other.
  3. Check that both screens show the same value.

A code lasts 10 minutes and works once.

saffronbadgegingerpebble

Who can see what

Your files stay readable only on your two devices. Full privacy notice

The small things

Everywhere

  • Files, folders, text, links, clipboard
  • Pause, resume, cancel, retry
  • A full history
  • Send with a code, no pairing
  • Share via link on your Wi-Fi
  • Light, dark, sounds, reduced motion

Windows and Linux

  • Drag files onto a device
  • Right-click to send
  • Lives in the tray
  • Starts at login, if you want

Android

  • Always ready to receive
  • Share from any app
  • Accept from the notification
  • A Quick Settings tile
  • Keeps going with the screen off

Install it in a minute

Windows 10 or 11
  1. Open the installer you downloaded.
  2. It isn't signed yet. If Windows warns you, choose More info, then Run anyway.
  3. Say yes to the firewall rule, so your devices can find this PC.
Ubuntu, Debian, Zorin, Mint
  1. In the folder with your .deb, run:
    sudo apt install ./nhako-beam-1.0.0-linux-amd64.deb
Android 8.0 or newer
  1. Open the .apk on your phone and allow the install.
  2. If Play Protect warns you, choose Install anyway.

Then send your first file

  1. Pair your devices.
  2. Drop files on a device, or share from any app.
  3. Tap Accept on the other one.

Download Nhako Beam

Version 1.0.0, released 3 Nov 2026. Free.

Other builds
Checksums (SHA-256)
  • nhako-beam-1.0.0-windows-x64-setup.exe3a5dff720304b2fc7631129509184c3ff00f6f0dcfbfa01b8d0ed5c24b537634
  • nhako-beam-1.0.0-linux-amd64.deb38cc63b46513476941148513c58663a1af3c0f61232a9ca63c3da6798f88bfc9
  • nhako-beam-1.0.0-android-arm64-v8a.apk3b9966205653a185a3fd2adac07ff73b2e9a4d2a99a3efa4c780c8fc66a0375c
  • nhako-beam-1.0.0-android-armeabi-v7a.apkea856fb4cb99b3983f4d5a6c1cd308fe63f094d169eaf7b12b4bb6129f4804a4
  • nhako-beam-1.0.0-android-x86_64.apk58fa4ae779700a76a9b1a11dbb80db0d0d3d6efc3bf3e609dbc54779ebe98775

Release notes All releases

Questions people ask

Is Nhako Beam free?

Yes. It is free and open source under the MIT or Apache 2.0 licence, with no ads, no tracking and no subscription.

Does it work on Mac or iPhone?

Not yet. Nhako Beam runs on Windows 10 and 11, on Linux with a .deb package, and on Android 8.0 or newer.

Do my files go through a server?

They are never uploaded or stored. On the same Wi-Fi they go straight across. Over the internet they go direct when they can, and through a relay when they cannot. A relay only passes encrypted bytes along and cannot read them.

Do both devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi?

No. On the same Wi-Fi they find each other by themselves. Devices you have paired can also reach each other across the internet.

Is there a file size limit?

No. Only your disk decides.

Do I need an account?

No. Devices pair once with a four-word code or a QR code, then remember each other.

What happens if the connection drops?

The transfer picks up again on its own from the last confirmed byte, and every file is checked before it is saved.

Can a stranger send me files?

By default only your own devices can. You choose this under Who can send to me, and anything from a device you have not set to accept automatically shows a request with Accept and Decline.

Can I send to someone who does not have the app?

Yes, on the same Wi-Fi. Share via link gives them a page to open in any browser.

Who runs the relay?

By default the apps use the free public relay and address lookup servers run by n0, the makers of iroh. You can run your own with Docker, for free, and point the apps at them.

Can I host it myself?

Yes. The relay and lookup servers run on any computer with Docker. Run a few commands, then choose Your own under Settings, Connection on each device.

Why does Windows or Android warn me when I install it?

The Windows installer is not signed yet, and the app is not in a store yet. On Windows choose More info, then Run anyway. On Android allow the install when asked, and if Play Protect warns about an app it has not seen, choose Install anyway.

Does Nhako Beam collect my data?

No. It has no analytics and no accounts, and we have no server for it. It does check GitHub for a new version at most once a day, which you can switch off.

Need an app or a site built?

kimzam made this, and takes on work like it.

See services

Ready when you are

Download Nhako Beam

Version 1.0.0. Free and open source.