10 Top File Sharing APIs – ProgrammableWeb
Sharing files with friends and co-workers has had a long history of evolution. In the early days (1980s) , it was done via a telephone line and a modem, hard copy files such as floppy disks, and then moved on to File Transfer Protocol (FTP) from a central server.
In the 1990s, the invention of the World Wide Web gave rise to web protocols for sharing, including those used IRC chat rooms, Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) (used for Usenet), email attachments, AOL instant messenger and other IM file transfer, and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems such as Napster.
In the 2000s, Decentralized file sharing network Gnutella & Gnutella P2P networks were invented, plus BitTorrent, which parcels files into bits for anonymous sharing, was released, followed by dozens of other Torrent applications.
Cloud storage applications such as Box, Dropbox, iCloud, pastebins, and the like followed suit, and along with web-based messaging (i.e. Slack) and project management software, remain the primary file sharing services for private users and enterprises alike.
From collaborating on work documents to enjoying music services, we all use file sharing applications on a daily basis. Developers wanting to enhance applications with these services need the proper APIs to accomplish this.
A File Sharing API is an Application Programming Interface in which developers can utilize to add file-sharing functions to applications.
The best place to find these APIs is in the File Sharing category of the ProgrammableWeb API directory.
In this article, we provide details of the ten most popular File Sharing APIs, as determined by reader visits to the ProgrammableWeb website.
ONLYOFFICE is an open-source Platform for business collaboration and project management. The platform includes software for managing project, collaborating with team members, document management and a CRM. ONLYOFFICE APITrack this API gives developers programmatic access to standard CRUD operations on groups, files, projects, forums, people and more.
Google Drive is a cloud based storage platform that lets users access their data, including files of any format, from any device or application that connects to the internet. The Google Drive APITrack this API is offered indirectly via SDK and lets developers integrate the files stored in a user’s Drvie with their own third party applications. This gives users the ability to use multiple cloud apps to interact with their files that are stored in a single location in the cloud.
OneDrive APITrack this API allows developers to integrate OneDrive personal cloud storage services into their applications to store and manage user data. Features include the ability to keep files in sync using minimal calls to retrieve new changes to files and folders, resumable uploads of files up to 10 GB, and customizable file thumbnail images. This API is a part of the Microsoft Graph API.
Screenshot: Microsoft
MediaFire is a cloud-based service for storing and sharing files. Users can host and share any file type including documents, presentations, videos, and images. Users can access and manage their MediaFire cloud using the MediaFire RESTful APITrack this API.
4shared is an online storage and file sharing service that was founded in 2005. Users can upload, store and share all types of files, including music, video, photos and documents. The 4shared REST APITrack this API enables developers to manage users, files, folders and applications.
ownCloud is a document and data storage and sharing application. Documents and data uploaded to ownCloud are stored in the cloud. Users can sync their files, share their files, and encrypt their files. The ownCloud APITrack this API is available indirectly via iOS and Android SDKs and enables developers to access and integrate the functionality of ownCloud with other applications and to create new applications. Use it for uploading files, syncing files, and sharing files and more.
dpaste is a pastebin originally aimed at early-adopter Django coders in Freenode’s #django IRC channel. The dpaste APITrack this API allows users to create short URLs for sharing pieces of code. dpaste is a pastebin that allows users to share code on chat rooms, forums, etc. without flooding the conversation with text. All short URLs created by dpaste are private and can be set to expire after 1 to 365 days.
Also of Interest: 12 Top APIs for Business
M-Files is a solution for Enterprise Information Management (EIM). The M-Files APITrack this API makes it possible to access M-Files from within scripting environments (developers can refer to the User Manual for learning key concepts of the object model). Developers can use the M-Files to access and manage objects contained in an M-Files document vault. Methods are available to manage objects, interfaces, properties and enumerations.
pCloud is a secure cloud storage platform. The pCloud APITrack this API offers programmatic access with methods to manage folders, files, authorization, archiving, sharing, public links, thumbnails, revisions, transfers and much more.
Screenshot: pCloud
Box is an enterprise content management platform that enables users to secure, share and edit all your files from anywhere. Box offers several APIs for programmatic access. The Box Upload APITrack this API allows users the ability to add a new file to the Box platform. The user can upload a file by specifying the destination folder for the file. The API uses the multipart post method to complete all upload tasks.
Check out the File Sharing category for more than 220 APIs and other developer resources.
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