Puter
The open-source 'internet OS' — a fast personal cloud with files, apps and a full desktop that runs in your browser. Self-host it as a private Google Drive with a workspace on top.
Google DriveAbout Puter
Puter asks a fun question with a serious answer: what if your cloud storage were a whole operating system? It boots a complete desktop in your browser — files, apps, terminal, even games — backed by storage you control.
As a Google Drive alternative it covers uploads, folders, sharing and previews, but the app platform is the differentiator: developers build and publish web apps that run inside Puter, making it a personal cloud you can extend.
AGPL-3.0 licensed and one of GitHub's fastest-growing projects, Puter runs self-hosted with Docker in about a minute — a genuinely private, surprisingly delightful home for your files.
Key features
- Desktop in the browser — A full OS-style desktop — file manager, apps, terminal — served from your own machine.
- Private file cloud — Store, organize, preview and share files on infrastructure you control.
- App platform — Run and build web apps inside Puter, with an SDK for developers.
- One-command self-host — Docker up and running in under a minute on any modest server.
The honest read
- Full private alternative to Drive-style storage
- Delightful, fast desktop UX
- Extensible app ecosystem + SDK
- Trivial Docker self-hosting
- Very active development
- No native Office-style editing suite
- Sync clients are still maturing
- Novel model won't suit everyone
- Collaboration lighter than Google's
FAQ
Yes — Puter is open source under AGPL-3.0 and free to self-host. Puter.com offers a hosted version with free storage if you don't want a server.
For storage, organization, previews and sharing, yes. If you live in Google Docs' real-time editing, you'll still want a docs tool alongside it.
Puter presents a full desktop in your browser — windows, apps, a file system, a terminal — so your cloud behaves like a computer, not just a folder.
One Docker command; it runs comfortably on a small VPS or home server.
Yes — an SDK and app platform let you build and publish apps that run inside Puter.
Node.js
Docker
