Offline between servers: local pairing on the command line
Pair two servers or computers with a local identity on the command line so they can exchange files across a network that has no internet.
You need
Two native devices with a working local or routed network connection between them.
On iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux the pipeit apps find each other nearby without internet (Wi-Fi Aware, Wi-Fi/LAN, Bluetooth discovery) using your normal account. This guide is the command-line variant for servers and scripted setups.
This is a separate local identity, not an offline extension of your online account. On both sides create a local identity and export a signed profile with the endpoints that are actually reachable:
pipeit local init --name local-device
pipeit local export --profile /ABSOLUTE/own-profile.json \
--endpoints OWN-IP:PORTExchange the profiles in a suitable way and compare the fingerprints independently. Then, on both sides, pair the counterpart:
pipeit local pair --profile /ABSOLUTE/peer-profile.json \
--fingerprint VERIFIED-FINGERPRINTStart a listener deliberately on B and send to the paired UUID from A:
# Receiver B
pipeit local listen --listen OWN-IP:PORT --inbox /ABSOLUTE/private-inbox
# Sender A
pipeit local send --file ./file.bin --target PEER-UUIDRelated guides
Direct, server route and routed networks: which way works?
What “direct” really means, when pipeit routes through its servers and what you can check.
- Command line and servers
Check the direct route and set the fallback
Probe a direct route, choose a route per transfer and control the account-wide fallback.
Still stuck?
Check the troubleshooting guide first. If that does not help, tell us what happened.