Previews, sharing, snapshots, WebDAV, dedup, streaming encryption — not bolt-ons, not marketplace items, not roadmap. Just there, in one focused self-hosted product.
Files are split into content-addressed chunks, described by manifests, compressed before encryption, and written through a storage model that can reuse identical content without making every visible file a physical duplicate.
Large uploads should not become a special crisis path. Cotton uses chunk-first upload, worker hashing, parallel transfer, and missing-chunk retry so interruption changes the retry set instead of forcing a full restart.
A file cloud should show what is inside the file. Cotton treats previews as product surface for documents, images, audio, video, text, Markdown, HEIC, SVG, and selected 3D model files.
Sharing is a lifecycle, not only a URL. Cotton can give recipients preview-aware share pages while users and operators keep expiry, single-use options, token cleanup, and notifications in the product flow.
Recovery should be a product action. Versions, snapshots, trash, and restore flows are shaped around references so rollback does not have to become a giant copy job.
Self-hosting should not mean blind trust. Cotton exposes setup, quotas, storage pressure, admin security diagnostics, passkeys, sessions, WebDAV, database integrity signatures, and backup/restore posture as visible product concerns.
The feature set works because it is connected: previews, shares, snapshots, WebDAV, encryption, background jobs, integrity checks, and deployment diagnostics all point back to the same file-cloud model instead of being unrelated plugins around a folder.
Cotton is built deeper for files: large uploads, duplicate data, rich browser previews, safer sharing, ordinary recovery, and clear operations. It is focused by design rather than trying to become every collaboration tool at once.
Choose a broader suite when calendars, contacts, office editing, chat, federation, or marketplace apps are the core requirement. Cotton is the better fit when the file cloud itself is the product.
Cotton turns storage architecture into everyday product advantages: uploads stay retryable, repeated bytes stay cheap, previews stay in the app, links expire, recovery stays normal, and operations stay visible.
Chunk-first upload verifies pieces early and retries only what is missing.
Content-addressed chunks let repeated bytes collapse to shared storage.
Documents, audio, video, images, text, and model files stay useful in the app.
Expiring shares, single-use options, notifications, and cleanup keep links intentional.
Versions, snapshots, and trash make recovery a normal product action.
Security diagnostics, quotas, pressure guards, and integrity checks surface posture.
Cotton is focused by design. It does not try to become calendar, chat, office, and marketplace in one stack; it goes deeper on the daily file workflow.
Chunks, manifests, deduplication, compression, encryption, and backend persistence are one coordinated storage path.
Read detailChunk upload, worker hashing, range reads, and no full-file buffering keep big files from becoming special crisis paths.
Read detailPDF, audio, video, HEIC, SVG, Markdown, text, images, and 3D previews make the cloud show files instead of icons.
Read detailPreview-aware share pages, expiry, single-use links, native share hooks, and cleanup make links safer to use.
Read detailVersions, snapshots, trash, and restore flows use references so recovery does not have to copy the whole world.
Read detailAdmin security checkup, passkeys, sessions, database integrity, storage pressure, and WebDAV keep operators informed.
Read detailThe product pitch is simple: a file should stay useful after upload. The linked pages explain how Cotton makes that happen through chunks, manifests, previews, shares, versions, security posture, and deployment choices.
No. The storage engine is the reason the product behaves better, but Cotton also includes a browser file surface, previews, shares, snapshots, versions, WebDAV, security diagnostics, setup, and operations workflows.
Open mixed files rather than only clicking folders: PDF, audio, video, Markdown, image galleries, and model files show why previews and seekable storage matter in daily use.
No. Cotton is a focused file cloud, not a full groupware suite. It is a better fit when files, large media, previews, sharing, recovery, WebDAV, and storage behavior are the main job.
Yes. The normal shape is one Cotton image plus PostgreSQL and persistent storage. Public deployments still need ordinary operator work such as TLS, backups, updates, and hardening.