**ass** is a self-hosted ShareX upload server written in Node.js. I initially started this project purely out of spite. ass aims to be as **unopinionated** as possible, giving users & hosts alike the ability to modify nearly everything.
By default, ass comes with a resource viewing page, which includes metadata about the resource as well as a download button & inline viewers for images, videos, & audio. It does **not** have a user dashboard or registration system: **this is intentional!** Developers are free to [create their own frontends] using the languages & tools they are most comfortable with. Writing & using these frontends is fully documented below, in the wiki, & in the source code.
| **[Zero-width spaces][ZWS]** | When pasted elsewhere, the URL appears to be *just* your domain name. Some browsers or sites may not recognize these URLs (Discord **does** support these)<br>![ZWS sample] |
| **Original** | The "basic" mode. URL matches the same filename as when the file was uploaded. This may be prone to conflicts with files of the same name. |
| **Timestamp** | The quick but dirty mode. URL is a timestamp of when the file was uploaded, in milliseconds. This is the most unique mode, but also potentially the longest (Gfycat could be longer, easily). **Keep in mind this is vulnerable to iteration attacks** |
[Docker Compose] is the recommended way to install ass. These steps assume you are already family with Docker. If not, you should probably use the local installation method. They also assume that you have a working Docker installation with Docker Compose v2 installed.
- These scripts are identical using the equivalent commands in each OS.
3. Work through the setup process when prompted.
The upload token will be printed at the end of the setup script prompts. This is the token that you'll need to use to upload resources to ass. It may go by too quickly to copy it, so just scroll back up in your terminal after setup or run `cat auth.json`.
You should now be able to access the ass server at `http://localhost:40115/` (ass-docker will bind to host `0.0.0.0` to allow external access). You can configure a reverse proxy (for example, [Caddy]; also check out [my tutorial]) to make it accessible from the internet with automatic SSL.
It creates directories & files required for Docker Compose to properly set up volumes. After that, it simply builds the image & container, then launches the setup process.
Since all 3 primary data files are bound to the container with Volumes, you can run the scripts in two ways: `docker compose exec` or `npm` on the host.
Deploying ass with Docker exposes **five** volumes. These volumes let you edit the config, view the auth or data files, or view the `uploads/` folder from your host.
The first time you run ass, the setup process will automatically be called & you will be shown your first authorization token; save this as you will need it to configure ShareX.
For HTTPS support, you must configure a reverse proxy. I recommend Caddy but any reverse proxy should work (such as Apache or Nginx). I also have a [tutorial on easily setting up Caddy][my tutorial] as a reverse proxy server.
| **`X-Ass-Access`** | Override the generator used for the resource URL. Must be one of: `original`, `zws`, `gfycat`, `random`, or `timestamp` ([see above](#access-types)) |
| **`X-Ass-OG-Color`** | Colour shown on the left side of the embed. Must be one of `&random`, `&vibrant`, or a hex colour value (for example: `#fe3c29`). Random is a randomly generated hex value & Vibrant is sourced from the image itself |
You may also specify a default embed config on the server. Keep in mind that if users specify the `X-Ass-OG-Title` header, the server-side config will be ignored. To configure the server-side embed, create a new file in the `share/` directory named `embed.json`. Available options are:
- **`title`**
-`description`
-`author`
-`authorUrl`
-`provider`
-`providerUrl`
-`color`
Their values are equivalent to the headers listed above.
You may use Discord webhooks as an easy way to keep track of your uploads. The first step is to [create a new Webhook]. You only need to follow the first section, **Making a Webhook**. Once you are done that, click **Copy Webhook URL**. Finally, add these headers to your custom uploader:
Webhooks will show the filename, mimetype, size, upload timestamp, thumbail, & a link to delete the file. To disable webhooks, simply remove the headers from your config.
1. Create a file in the `share/` directory called `index.html` or `index.js`.
- ass will treat `index.html` as an HTML file and will send it to the client.
- ass will treat `index.js` as a Node.js file that exports a function representing [Express middleware](https://expressjs.com/en/guide/using-middleware.html). ass will pass all handling of the index to this function. The function should take three arguments: `(req, res, next)`. Some code samples for common use cases are provided below.
- If both `index.html` and `index.js` are present, the `index.html` file will be served first.
2. Add whatever you want to the file.
3. Restart ass. The startup info logs should mention which file is being used as the index.
ass supports three methods of file storage: local, S3, or [Skynet].
### Local
Local storage is the simplest option, but relies on you having a lot of disk space to store files, which can be costly.
### S3
Any existing object storage server that's compatible with [Amazon S3] can be used with ass. I personally host my files using Digital Ocean Spaces, which implements S3.
[Skynet] is a decentralized CDN created by [Skynet Labs]. It utilizes the [Sia] blockchain, the leading decentralized cloud storage platform, which boasts "no signups, no servers, no trusted third parties". For hosts who are looking for a reliable, always available storage solution with lots of capacity & no costs, Skynet may be your best option. However, uploads tend to be on the slower side (though speeds will improve as the Sia network grows).
The user system was overhauled in v0.14.0 to allow more features and flexibility. New fields on users include `admin`, `passhash`, `unid`, and `meta` (these will be documented more once the system is finalized).
New installs will automatically generate a default user. Check the `auth.json` file for the token. You will use this for API requests and to authenticate within ShareX.
ass will automatically convert your old `auth.json` to the new format. **Always backup your `auth.json` and `data.json` before updating**. By default, the original user (named `ass`) will be marked as an admin. Adding new users via `npm run new-token <username>` is currently not supported. Please see the API below for how to add a new user via the API.
ass includes an API (v0.14.0) for frontend developers to easily integrate with. Right now the API is pretty limited but I will expand on it in the future, with frontend developer feedback.
Any endpoints requiring authorization will require an `Authorization` header with the value being the user's upload token. Admin users are a new feature introduced in v0.14.0. Admin users can access all endpoints, while non-admin users can only access those relevant to them.
Other things to note:
- **All endpoints are prefixed with `/api/`**.
- All endpoints will return a JSON object unless otherwise specified.
- Successful endpoints *should* return a `200` status code. Any errors will use the corresponding `4xx` or `5xx` status code (such as `401 Unauthorized`).
### API endpoints
| Endpoint | Purpose | Admin? |
| -------- | ------- | ------ |
| **`GET /user/all`** | Returns a list of all users | Yes |
| **`GET /user/self`** | Returns the current user | No |
| **`GET /user/token/:token`** | Returns the user with the given token | No |
| **`POST /user/reset`** | Resets the current user's **password** (token resets coming soon). Request body must be a JSON object including `username` and `password`. | No |
| **`POST /user/new`** | Creates a new user. Request body must be a JSON object including `username` and `password`. You may optionally include `admin` (boolean) or `meta` (object). Returns 400 if fails. | Yes |
ass is intended to provide a strong backend for developers to build their own frontends around. [Git Submodules] make it easy to create custom frontends. Submodules are their own projects, which means you are free to build the router however you wish, as long as it exports the required items. A custom frontend is really just an [Express.js router].
[Papito data engines] are responsible for managing your data. "Data" has two parts: an identifier & the actual data itself. With ass, the data is a JSON object representing the uploaded resource. The identifier is the unique ID in the URL returned to the user on upload. **Update August 2022:** I plan to overhaul Papito and how all this works *eventually*. If this comment is still here in a year, ~~kick~~ message me.
| **JSON** | JSON-based data storage. On disk, data is stored in a JSON file. In memory, data is stored in a [Map]. This is the default engine. | [GitHub][GH ASE]<br>[npm][npm ASE] |
| **PostgreSQL** | Data storage using a [PostgreSQL] database. [node-postgres] is used for communicating with the database. | [GitHub][GH APSQL]<br>[npm][npm APSQL] |
| **Mongoose** | Data storage using a [MongoDB] database. [mongoose] is used for communicating with the database. Created by [@dylancl] | [GitHub][GH AMongoose]<br>[npm][npm AMongoose] |
A Papito data engine implements support for one type of database (or file, such as JSON or YAML). This lets ass server hosts pick their database of choice, because all they'll have to do is enter the connection/authentication details & ass will handle the rest, using the resource ID as the key.
