Blip: Peer-to-peer massive file sharing

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Architecture & P2P Design

  • Commenters speculate it might use QUIC, DERP-style relays, or Iroh; a founder says it’s “closer to DERP” and that high-speed, battery-friendly global transfer over residential internet is non-trivial.
  • Consensus that a “pure” P2P solution still needs relays for NAT traversal. Some note relay bandwidth is cheap outside big clouds, so cost may be manageable.
  • Stack details (e.g., whether Iroh is used) remain unclear; the team only says they evaluated many approaches.

Relays, Performance, and Security

  • The “Internet sending may be slower during peak times” line confuses readers for a P2P product; clarified as load management on relay servers, with direct P2P preferred.
  • Some users hard-reject relay-based fallback, despite encryption, citing added trust and attack surface on servers.
  • Others argue that if E2EE is done properly, relays can’t see contents; true attack surface is in client and coordination servers either way.
  • E2EE is promised as the “gold standard” on all plans, partially rolled out already; key exchange details are not fully explained in the thread.

Comparison to AirDrop and Cloud Workflows

  • Repeated questions if this is “AirDrop but cross-platform”: commenters stress differences:
    • AirDrop: local/nearby, Apple-only (with a newer, more limited internet mode).
    • Blip: global, cross-platform, aimed at large transfers with resumability.
  • Debate over how much non-technical users even think in “files” versus app-centric/cloud-centric data.
  • Disagreement on whether most people already rely on cloud storage versus only light use (photos, docs); some note huge files (hundreds of GB) are rare outside professional media/science, but others say those are precisely where P2P is attractive.

Alternatives and Prior Art

  • Many alternatives are listed: Pairdrop, Magic Wormhole/WebWormhole, Keet, Syncthing, croc, FilePizza, Taildrop, LocalSend, and ad‑hoc WebRTC tools.
  • Rough consensus:
    • Syncthing: great for ongoing folder sync, less ideal for one-off big transfers.
    • Magic Wormhole: strong for one-off CLI-based sharing.
    • WebRTC/browser tools may be less suited to “max-speed” native transfers.
  • Some see Blip as “just another” iteration in a 20-year line of similar services that often fail to sustain a business.

Service vs Pure App & Business Model

  • One camp asks why this must be a “service” instead of a pure P2P app; others explain you still need rendezvous/identity infrastructure (like torrent trackers), which someone must operate.
  • Concern over subscription pricing (e.g., ~$25/user/month mentioned) for what’s seen as basic file transfer; others argue it can be worth it for creatives and small teams avoiding cloud storage workflows.
  • Skepticism that a standalone file-transfer startup can survive long term; some explicitly compare the criticism to early Dropbox skepticism.

UX, Polish, and Miscellaneous

  • Multiple commenters praise the design, onboarding, and features like “keep your progress, whatever happens.”
  • Requests include Linux support, an API, and published benchmarks versus Aspera-like tools.
  • Minor tangent debates language like “super fast speeds” / “cheap prices,” and some users remain unconvinced it’s truly “convenient enough” to change habits.