Building a privacy-first way to transfer text, code, and files between devices
Hey Indie Hackers,
I’ve been working on Textunnel, a small tool built around a simple idea:
Moving something from one device to another should be instant and frictionless.
I often found myself needing to send code snippets, notes, links, or small files between my laptop and phone. The existing solutions usually involved cloud storage, accounts, or extra steps that felt unnecessary for quick transfers.
So I started exploring whether WebRTC could provide a simpler approach.
Textunnel uses peer-to-peer technology to connect devices directly and transfer content without relying on traditional file upload workflows.
Some things I focused on:
No account required
Browser-to-browser transfers
Text, code, and file sharing
No permanent file storage
Simple cross-device workflow
The most interesting part of building this was not creating the connection itself, but making the experience reliable across different networks and devices.
Some challenges I worked through:
WebRTC signaling
NAT traversal and ICE candidates
Handling connection failures
Making file transfers feel smooth
Designing a simple user experience
I’m continuing to improve it and learn from how people use it.
Would love to connect with other indie hackers building productivity tools, privacy-focused apps, or projects using peer-to-peer technology.
How do you currently handle your analytics and would you mind reading my indiehacker pots on how crawlers and bots are ruining analytics data?
https://www.indiehackers.com/post/i-just-discovered-my-analytics-numbers-are-mostly-fake-here-is-why-8197e3ff9d
What stood out to me is that for quick cross-device transfers, the real competitor may not be another file-sharing tool — it's the workaround people already use without thinking about it.
That makes reducing the number of decisions before something reaches the other device especially important.
The fact you chose browser to browser with no account and no permanent storage is what makes this feel different. It solves the quick transfer problem without asking people to change how they work.
Reading this I kept thinking it feels like it could be getting a lot more organic traffic than it probably is right now. At $1K MRR that would probably give you a much clearer picture of what people actually keep using.
Have you had that feeling yourself yet?
A little background:
I originally built this because I wanted a faster way to move small pieces of information between my own devices.
The goal is not to replace cloud storage, but to make those quick "I need this on another device right now" moments easier.