Self-hosting

Run your own relay server.

The share-env relay is open source and can be self-hosted on any platform that runs Node.js 18+. Full control over TTL, rate limits, and infrastructure.

Requirements

Node.js 18 or higherCheck with: node --version

A server or cloud platform that runs a persistent Node.js processRender (free tier), Railway, Fly.io, or a VPS all work.

Git (to clone the repository)Only needed for setup.

Setup

Four steps — runs in under 2 minutes.

1

Clone the repository

bash

$ git clone https://github.com/arjunn881/env-share.git
cd env-share

2

Install all dependencies

bash

$ npm install

3

Build the server workspace

bash

$ npm run build

4

Start the relay server

bash

$ npm start --workspace=server

# To use a custom port:
PORT=8080 npm start --workspace=server

Using your self-hosted relay

Pass the --server flag to both push and pull:

bash

# Sender
$ npx share-env push --server https://your-relay.example.com

# Receiver
$ npx share-env pull <share-code> --server https://your-relay.example.com

Relay server configuration

These defaults are defined in server/src/index.ts and can be changed when self-hosting:

Setting	Default	Description
`TTL_SECONDS`	`600 (10 minutes)`	Time before an uncollected payload is automatically deleted from memory
`RATE_LIMIT_MAX`	`10`	Maximum requests per minute per IP address
`PORT`	`3000`	Port the server listens on — overridden by the PORT environment variable

typescript — server/src/index.ts

// Adjust these values in your self-hosted relay
const TTL_SECONDS = 600;       // 10 minutes
const RATE_LIMIT_MAX = 10;    // requests per minute per IP
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;

Recommended deploy platforms

RenderFree tier

Push the repo to GitHub, connect to Render, set build command to npm run build and start command to npm start --workspace=server.

render.com →

RailwayFree tier

Connect GitHub repo, Railway auto-detects Node.js. Set the start command and PORT environment variable.

railway.app →

Fly.ioFree tier

Use fly launch and fly deploy. The server runs as an always-on Fly Machine. Supports custom domains.

fly.io →

VPS (any cloud)Self-managed

SSH into your server, clone the repo, run npm install && npm run build, then use PM2 to keep the process alive.

Project structure

repository structure

env-share/
  cli/          — The npm CLI package (share-env)
    src/
      index.ts            — CLI entry point and command definitions
      utils/
        crypto.ts         — AES-256-GCM encrypt/decrypt logic
        env.ts            — Smart merge logic
        env-validator.ts  — .env file format validation
        git.ts            — .gitignore safety check
  server/       — The Express relay server
    src/
      index.ts            — Server entry point, routes, rate limiting

The default relay server https://env-share-1rsi.onrender.com is provided free of charge on Render's free tier. It may experience cold-start latency (15–30s on first request after inactivity). Self-hosting avoids this.