CPYNET

CPYNET vs pastebin, termbin, transfer.sh, privnote

A short, honest comparison - what each tool is actually good for, and the three things that make CPYNET different.

Feature comparison

FeatureCPYNETPastebinTermbintransfer.shPrivnotedpaste0bin
One-time read by default✓✗✗✗✓✗optional
Password protection✓partial✗✗✗✗✗
Zero-knowledge encryption✓✗✗✗✓✗✓
Live "it was read" notification✓ (SSE)✗✗✗email, delayed✗✗
curl/terminal-first✓partial (API)✓✓✗partial (API)✗ (browser-only)
Small file uploads✓✓✗✓✗✗ (text only)✗
Open source / self-hostable✗✗✗✓✗✓✓
No signup required✓partial✓✓✓✓✓

Scroll right to see the rest of the columns on a narrow screen.

Every claim about CPYNET here is verified against its own source; the other columns describe each tool's well-known core behavior, which can change over time - check their own docs for the current details.

What makes CPYNET different

  1. One-time read, password protection, and a live "it was read" notification, all together. Privnote offers one-time reads and (on paid plans) passwords, but no instant notification - it emails you later. Pastebin, termbin, transfer.sh, and dpaste don't do one-time reads at all; 0bin makes burn-after-reading optional rather than the default.
  2. Genuinely terminal-first. The cpy/pst shell functions, their PowerShell equivalents, and even a plain nc fallback mean the entire workflow - send, read, encrypt - can happen without a browser. The web UI is an option, not a requirement. 0bin, by contrast, needs a browser to run its client-side decryption JS at all.
  3. One file, zero dependencies, minimal attack surface. The whole server is a single Go file, no external packages, no database - nothing else running alongside it that could leak data or get compromised on its own.

When something else might fit better

CPYNET is built around one-time, ephemeral text sharing from a terminal. If you need a persistent public paste with a permanent URL and syntax-highlighted archives (classic pastebin or dpaste use), or large/streaming file transfer (transfer.sh's use case), or you specifically need to self-host, those tools are built for that and CPYNET isn't trying to replace them.

Frequently asked questions

Is CPYNET free to use?

Yes - the hosted instance is free to use, no signup required.

What happens to a paste after it's read?

It's deleted from memory immediately - a second attempt to read the same code returns a 404, whether it's a stranger or you trying again.

Does CPYNET work without a browser?

Yes - the cpy/pst shell functions, their PowerShell equivalents, and a raw curl or nc fallback cover the entire send/read flow from a terminal alone.