Designed for security and maintainability.
OpenPrivateDrive is built on a modern, transparent technical stack that prioritizes file isolation, permission-aware workflows, and private deployment.
The Architecture Model
Unlike shared SaaS clouds, OpenPrivateDrive runs where your documents live. The application manages the "routing" and "authorization" layers while the actual file bytes are stored on your private infrastructure.
Flask App Factory Architecture
Clean separation of concerns with the application factory pattern, ensuring maintainable and testable code.
Service Layer Purity
Business logic for encryption, file management, and sharing is encapsulated in a dedicated service layer.
Permission Engine
A centralized system that validates ownership and role-based permissions (Viewer, Editor, Manager, Owner).
Private Storage Outside Web Root
Uploaded files are stored outside the public directory, preventing direct web access and enforcing authorization.
UUID-Only File Routing
Files are identified and served via UUIDs, obfuscating physical storage paths and preventing metadata leakage.
Background Processing Pipeline
Background jobs handle preview generation, document conversion, text extraction, thumbnail creation, cleanup, and quarantine-aware processing.
API-First Design
The core dashboard and future mobile apps communicate with a secure, standardized REST API.
Office Preview Conversion
LibreOffice document preview via PDF for DOCX, XLSX, ODT, and ODS files.
Rich Thumbnails
Generated WebP thumbnails for images, PDFs, Office files, and video assets.
Public Upload Request Links
One-time partner upload links with optional passwords, expiry, and size limits.
Secure Public Links
External download shares with mandatory passwords and configurable expiration.
Deployment Diagram
Architecture showing user traffic through secure proxy to isolated private infrastructure.
Technical Essentials
- Language Python (Flask)
- Database SQLite / PostgreSQL
- Frontend JavaScript (Vanilla) + Tailwind
- Deployment Docker / Linux / VPS
- Security AES-256-GCM, Scrypt, CSP, HTTPS
Service Layer Purity
By strictly separating business logic from the routing layer, OpenPrivateDrive keeps permission checks, encryption rules, preview restrictions, and API behavior consistent across the Web UI and mobile clients.
Ready to inspect the source code?
The entire platform is transparently auditable and available on GitHub.