XBackBone is an open-source, self-hosted file and media sharing server, originally created by developer SergiX44, with its project dating back to 2018 on GitHub.
It functions as a privately hosted alternative to third-party image and file hosts, and is most commonly used alongside ShareX, the popular Windows screen-capture utility, for one-click screenshot uploading.
Because it is open source and self-hosted, there is no vendor subscription, only the cost of the server infrastructure a user chooses to run it on.
Key Features
Supports uploading images, GIFs, video, audio, PDFs, code, and arbitrary files, generating short links with rich social embed previews and inline previews for most file types.
Files are de-duplicated by content fingerprint so identical uploads are stored only once, and storage can run on local disk, S3-compatible services, or FTP/SFTP.
Per-resource access control includes optional password protection and automatic link expiration, alongside account security via two-factor authentication and WebAuthn passkeys.
Pricing
XBackBone itself carries no license fee, since it is released as free, open-source software.
Users are responsible only for the cost of the server, VPS, or storage infrastructure they deploy it on, whether via Docker or a traditional LAMP (PHP/MySQL) stack.
There is no official managed or cloud-hosted version, so all costs and maintenance responsibility fall on whoever self-hosts the instance.
Key Features
ShareX Integration — One-click configuration for the ShareX screen-capture tool, enabling instant upload of screenshots to a private server.
Multi-Format File Support — Handles images, GIFs, video, audio, PDFs, code snippets, pastes, and arbitrary files with inline previews.
Content De-Duplication — Identical files are fingerprinted and stored only once, reducing storage use across an instance.
Pluggable Storage Backends — Supports local disk, Amazon S3 and S3-compatible services, and FTP/SFTP without changing the underlying data model.
Access Control and Expiration — Per-resource visibility settings support optional password protection and automatic link expiration.
Two-Factor Auth and Passkeys — Account security includes two-factor authentication and WebAuthn passkey login support.
Versioned REST API — Provides a token-authenticated API with auto-generated, per-instance OpenAPI documentation.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Completely free and open source, with no subscription or per-user licensing cost.
Full ShareX compatibility makes it a near drop-in replacement for hosted screenshot services.
Flexible storage backend options, including S3-compatible cloud storage, suit a range of infrastructure setups.
Strong privacy and access controls, including 2FA, passkeys, password-protected links, and link expiration.
Cons
Requires self-hosting and basic server administration skills, unlike plug-and-play SaaS alternatives.
No official managed or cloud-hosted version is offered by the project.
Community-maintained development pace can be slower than that of funded commercial competitors.
Uptime, backups, and security patching responsibility rests entirely on the self-hoster.
Pricing
Free / Self-Hosted $0 one-time setup, self-hosted
Frequently Asked Questions
What is XBackBone used for?
XBackBone is a self-hosted server for uploading and sharing screenshots, images, and files through short links, commonly paired with the ShareX capture tool.
Is XBackBone free?
Yes, XBackBone is free and open source; the only cost is the server or storage infrastructure you host it on.
Does XBackBone work with ShareX?
Yes, it offers one-click ShareX uploader configuration, making it a common self-hosted replacement for third-party screenshot hosts.
What storage options does XBackBone support?
It supports local disk storage, Amazon S3 and S3-compatible services, and FTP/SFTP, and can switch between them without affecting existing data.
How do you deploy XBackBone?
XBackBone can be deployed via Docker or a traditional LAMP stack using PHP and MySQL.
Does XBackBone support multiple users?
Yes, it includes multi-user management with admin roles, per-user disk quotas, and usage statistics.
Does XBackBone have an API?
Yes, it provides a versioned REST API with token authentication and auto-generated OpenAPI documentation.