sudo sambam /path/to/folder

sambam

The fastest way to share files with Windows and macOS. No setup. No passwords. No patience required.

You know the drill: Your colleague needs a file. They’re on Windows. You’re on Linux. You could email it (if it’s under 25MB). You could upload it to some cloud service (and wait). You could set up Samba (LOL, see you next week). Or...

sudo sambam /path/to/folder

Done. They open \\your-ip\share in Explorer. Files are flowing. You’re a hero. sambam is like python -m http.server but for Windows network shares. One command, instant SMB file sharing.

Why sambam?

The Old Way	The sambam Way
Install Samba	sudo sambam .
Edit smb.conf	That’s it.
Configure users	Seriously.
Restart services	You’re done.
Debug permissions	Go grab coffee.
Google error messages
Cry softly

Features

• Zero configuration - No config files, no setup wizards, no existential dread
• Anonymous access - No passwords by default (or add authentication if needed)
• Optional authentication - Require username/password when you need it
• Multiple shares - Share multiple directories with different names
• Auto-expire - Automatically stop sharing after a set time
• Config file - Save your settings in ~/.sambamrc
• Cross-platform clients - Works with Windows 10/11 and macOS
• Single binary - Runs on any Linux distribution (Debian, Ubuntu, OpenWrt, etc.)
• Daemon mode - Run in background, stop when done
• Pretty output - Because life’s too short for ugly terminals
• Debug logging - See who’s connecting and what they’re doing

Installation

Download the latest binary from the Releases page, then:

chmod +x sambam-linux-amd64
sudo mv sambam-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/sambam

Or build from source:

go build -o sambam .

Usage

# Share current directory
sudo sambam

# Share a specific folder
sudo sambam /path/to/folder

# Custom share name
sudo sambam -n photos ~/Pictures

# Multiple shares
sudo sambam -n docs:/home/user/documents -n pics:/home/user/photos

# Read-only (they can look, but not touch)
sudo sambam -r /data

# Require authentication (generates random password)
sudo sambam --username admin /data

# Require authentication with specific password
sudo sambam --username admin --password secret123 /data

# Auto-expire after 30 minutes
sudo sambam --expire 30m /data

# Run as daemon (background)
sudo sambam -d /data

# Stop the daemon
sudo sambam stop

# Debug mode (see connections and file activity)
sudo sambam --debug /data

# Daemon with logging and authentication
sudo sambam -d --debug --username admin -L /var/log/sambam.log /data

Options

-n, --name      Share name or name:path (repeatable for multiple shares)
-l, --listen    Listen address (default: "0.0.0.0:445")
-r, --readonly  Read-only mode
--username      Require authentication with this username
--password      Password for authentication (random if not set)
--expire        Auto-shutdown after duration (e.g., 30m, 1h, 2h30m)
--debug         Show connections and file activity
-d, --daemon    Run as background daemon
-p, --pidfile   PID file location (default: "/tmp/sambam.pid")
-L, --logfile   Log file for daemon mode
-v, --version   Show version
-h, --help      Show help

Configuration File

You can save your settings in ~/.sambamrc (TOML format):

# Listen address
listen = "0.0.0.0:445"

# Read-only mode
readonly = false

# Debug mode
debug = true

# Authentication
username = "admin"
password = "secret123"

# Auto-expire
expire = "1h"

# Multiple shares
[shares]
docs = "/home/user/documents"
pics = "/home/user/photos"

CLI flags override config file settings. See sambamrc.example for a full example.

Connecting from Windows

Once sambam is running, it shows you the exact path to use:

🔗 sambam v1.2.0

Sharing      /home/user/documents
Share        share
Listen       0.0.0.0:445
Mode         read-write
Auth         anonymous

Connect from Windows:
\\192.168.1.100\share

Press Ctrl+C to stop

With authentication enabled:

🔗 sambam v1.2.0

Sharing      /home/user/documents
Share        share
Listen       0.0.0.0:445
Mode         read-write
Auth         admin:xK9mQ2pL5n

Connect from Windows:
\\192.168.1.100\share

Press Ctrl+C to stop

From Windows:

1. Open File Explorer
2. Type the path in the address bar: \\192.168.1.100\share
3. Press Enter
4. If authentication is required, enter the username and password

Or mount as a drive with credentials:

net use Z: \\192.168.1.100\share /user:admin

Windows Credential Troubleshooting

Windows caches SMB credentials. If you’re having authentication issues:

# List active connections
net use

# Disconnect a specific share
net use \\192.168.1.100\share /delete

# Or disconnect all shares
net use * /delete

After clearing cached connections, reconnect and Windows will prompt for new credentials.

Debug Output

With --debug flag, see what’s happening in real-time:

15:04:05 connect 192.168.1.100:54321
15:04:10 create file documents/report.docx
15:04:12 create dir  backup
15:04:15 delete temp/old-file.txt

Requirements

• Root privileges - Port 445 requires root (or use -l :8445 for non-standard port)
• Linux server - Works on any distribution (Debian, Ubuntu, OpenWrt, Alpine, etc.)
• Clients - Windows 10/11 or macOS (any version with SMB support)

Security Notice

By default, sambam uses anonymous/guest authentication. This means:

• No passwords - Anyone on your network can access the share
• Use on trusted networks only - Don’t run this on public WiFi
• Not for production - This is for quick file transfers, not Fort Knox

For sensitive shares, use --username to require authentication, and -r for read-only mode.

License

AGPL-3.0

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Made for those moments when you just need to share a damn file.