Emberly

As the Founder and Lead Developer of Emberly, I built this platform from the ground up to solve a problem I personally experienced: existing file sharing solutions were either too complex, too expensive, or didn't respect user privacy. Emberly is my answer to that.

The Vision

I started Emberly in 2022 with a simple goal: create a file sharing platform that developers would actually enjoy using. No bloat, no dark patterns, just straightforward file hosting with the features that matter.

What I Built

Core Platform

I architected and developed a full stack application using Next.js 16 with the App Router, TypeScript throughout, and PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM. The platform supports multiple storage providers (local filesystem and S3 compatible services) giving users flexibility in deployment.

Authentication & Security

Implemented NextAuth.js with JWT sessions, OAuth provider support, and two factor authentication (TOTP) using otplib. Security was never an afterthought it's baked into every layer of the application.

Subscription System

Built a complete billing system with Stripe integration, supporting multiple subscription tiers (Spark, Glow, Flare, Blaze) with add ons for extra storage and custom domains. The pricing page dynamically renders based on active plans and available add ons.

Theme System

Developed an extensive theming engine with 20+ preset themes including gaming inspired options, each with configurable background effects, animations, and color palettes. Users can fully customize their experience.

Technical Highlights

File Processing Pipeline

• Chunked uploads for large files with real time progress tracking
• Presigned URL generation for secure S3 access
• OCR extraction using Tesseract.js for image text detection
• Automatic metadata extraction and preview generation

Developer Experience

• REST API with ShareX, Flameshot, and Spectacle integration
• Webhook support for automation workflows
• Comprehensive documentation system built into the platform

Infrastructure

• Status page integration with Instatus API for real time service health
• Email system with React Email templates and Resend delivery
• GitHub powered changelog system that pulls from releases