croc

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:39:56 +0800

schollz/croc

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About

croc is a tool that allows any two computers to simply and securely transfer files and folders. AFAIK, croc is the only CLI file-transfer tool that does all of the following:

Allows any two computers to transfer data (using a relay)
Provides end-to-end encryption (using PAKE)
Enables easy cross-platform transfers (Windows, Linux, Mac)
Allows multiple file transfers
Allows resuming transfers that are interrupted
No need for local server or port-forwarding
IPv6-first with IPv4 fallback
Can use a proxy, like Tor

For more information about croc, see my blog post or read a recent interview I did.

Install

You can download the latest release for your system, or install a release from the command-line:

`1`	`curl https://getcroc.schollz.com \| bash`

On macOS

Using Homebrew:

`1`	`brew install croc`

Using MacPorts:

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sudo port selfupdate
sudo port install croc

On Windows

You can install the latest release with Scoop, Chocolatey, or Winget:

`1`	`scoop install croc`

`1`	`choco install croc`

`1`	`winget install schollz.croc`

Using nix-env

You can install the latest release with Nix:

`1`	`nix-env -i croc`

On NixOS

You can add this to your configuration.nix:

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environment.systemPackages = [
  pkgs.croc
];

On Alpine Linux

First, install dependencies:

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apk add bash coreutils
wget -qO- https://getcroc.schollz.com | bash

On Arch Linux

Install with pacman:

`1`	`pacman -S croc`

On Fedora

Install with dnf:

`1`	`dnf install croc`

On Gentoo

Install with portage:

`1`	`emerge net-misc/croc`

On Termux

Install with pkg:

`1`	`pkg install croc`

On FreeBSD

Install with pkg:

`1`	`pkg install croc`

On Linux, macOS, and Windows via Conda

You can install from conda-forge globally with pixi:

`1`	`pixi global install croc`

Or install into a particular environment with conda:

`1`	`conda install --channel conda-forge croc`

On Linux, macOS via Docker

Add the following one-liner function to your ~/.profile (works with any POSIX-compliant shell):

croc() { [ $# -eq 0 ] && set -- ""; mkdir -p "$HOME/.config/croc"; docker run --rm -it --user "$(id -u):$(id -g)" -v "$(pwd):/c" -v "$HOME/.config/croc:/.config/croc" -w /c -e CROC_SECRET docker.io/schollz/croc "$@"; }

You can also just paste it in the terminal for current session. On first run Docker will pull the image. croc via Docker will only work within the current directory and its subdirectories.

Build from Source

If you prefer, you can install Go and build from source (requires Go 1.22+):

`1`	`go install github.com/schollz/croc/v10@latest`

On Android

There are two F-Droid apps available:

crocgui — original port (Go, basic UI)
croc-app — native Kotlin/Jetpack Compose client with a modern, mobile-first interface

Usage

To send a file, simply do:

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$ croc send [file(s)-or-folder]
Sending 'file-or-folder' (X MB)
Code is: code-phrase

Then, to receive the file (or folder) on another computer, run:

`1`	`croc code-phrase`

The code phrase is used to establish password-authenticated key agreement (PAKE) which generates a secret key for the sender and recipient to use for end-to-end encryption.

Customizations & Options

Using `croc` on Linux or macOS

On Linux and macOS, the sending and receiving process is slightly different to avoid leaking the secret via the process name. You will need to run croc with the secret as an environment variable. For example, to receive with the secret ***:

`1`	`CROC_SECRET=*** croc`

For single-user systems, the default behavior can be permanently enabled by running:

`1`	`croc --classic`

Custom Code Phrase

You can send with your own code phrase (must be at least 6 characters):

`1`	`croc send --code [code-phrase] [file(s)-or-folder]`

Allow Overwriting Without Prompt

To automatically overwrite files without prompting, use the --overwrite flag:

`1`	`croc --yes --overwrite <code>`

Excluding Folders

To exclude folders from being sent, use the --exclude flag with comma-delimited exclusions:

`1`	`croc send --exclude "node_modules,.venv" [folder]`

Use Pipes - stdin and stdout

You can pipe to croc:

`1`	`cat [filename] \| croc send`

To receive the file to stdout, you can use:

`1`	`croc --yes [code-phrase] > out`

Send Text

To send URLs or short text, use:

`1`	`croc send --text "hello world"`

Send Multiple Files

You can send multiple files directly by listing the files and/or folders:

`1`	`croc send [file1] [file2] [file3] [folder1] [folder2]`

Show QR Code

To show QR code (for mobile devices), use:

`1`	`croc send --qr [file(s)-or-folder]`

Use a Proxy

You can send files via a proxy by adding --socks5:

`1`	`croc --socks5 "127.0.0.1:9050" send SOMEFILE`

Change Encryption Curve

To choose a different elliptic curve for encryption, use the --curve flag:

`1`	`croc --curve p521 <codephrase>`

Change Hash Algorithm

For faster hashing, use the imohash algorithm:

`1`	`croc send --hash imohash SOMEFILE`

Clipboard Options

By default, the code phrase is copied to your clipboard. To disable this:

`1`	`croc --disable-clipboard send [filename]`

To copy the full command with the secret as an environment variable (useful on Linux/macOS):

`1`	`croc --extended-clipboard send [filename]`

This copies the full command like CROC_SECRET="code-phrase" croc (including any relay/pass flags).

Quiet Mode

To suppress all output (useful for scripts and automation):

`1`	`croc --quiet send [filename]`

Self-host Relay

You can run your own relay:

`1`	`croc relay`

By default, it uses TCP ports 9009-9013. You can customize the ports (e.g., croc relay --ports 1111,1112), but at least 2 ports are required.

To send files using your relay:

`1`	`croc --relay "myrelay.example.com:9009" send [filename]`

Self-host Relay with Docker

You can also run a relay with Docker:

`1`	`docker run -d -p 9009-9013:9009-9013 -e CROC_PASS='YOURPASSWORD' docker.io/schollz/croc`

To send files using your custom relay:

`1`	`croc --pass YOURPASSWORD --relay "myreal.example.com:9009" send [filename]`

To use custom ports, set CROC_PORTS (comma-separated) or CROC_PORT (base port):

`1`	`docker run -d -p 9010-9011:9010-9011 -e CROC_PORTS='9010,9011' -e CROC_PASS='YOURPASSWORD' docker.io/schollz/croc`

Acknowledgements

croc has evolved through many iterations, and I am thankful for the contributions! Special thanks to:

@warner for the idea
@tscholl2 for the encryption gists
@skorokithakis for proxying two connections

And many more!

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