I built WebMC, a no-dependency browser-based file manager inspired by Midnight Commander
I built WebMC, a no-dependency browser-based file manager inspired by Midnight Commander.
A portable web-based dual-panel file manager (like MC/Krusader) that runs on plain Node.js. No npm, no bundler, no Docker needed unless you want it. Just node server.js and you're good.
I love Midnight Commander. Dual-panel layout, keyboard-driven navigation, F-keys – pure efficiency. But MC isn't always available on every machine I work on. Installing it on every system gets old fast.
I wanted something that checks ALL of these boxes:
• Dual panels, keyboard-first, completely portable
• Zero dependencies – not even a package.json
• Works on any machine with Node.js
• Modern dark theme
• Actually useful features: file ops, terminal, search, inline editing
So I built WebMC. Two panels side by side. Arrow keys, Tab, Insert, F5–F8. Just like MC. But it also has things MC doesn't: a built-in terminal (Ctrl+O), drag & drop upload, right-click context menu, recursive search, file download, and a button bar.
The tech: A single Node.js HTTP server (no Express), vanilla JS frontend, Tokyo Night theme. All in one folder, ~100 KB. Copy it anywhere, node server.js, done.
Why not just MC? Different niches: machines without MC, minimal containers, shared environments, quick file ops, remote management from a phone.
What I learned: F-keys in browsers fight back, cross-device moves need a fallback, and "no dependencies" means writing everything from scratch – including tar.gz for multi-file downloads because zip isn't always installed.
What would you add? I'm considering SSH remote panels, S3/cloud storage as a panel, image previews, bookmarks. What would make this useful for your workflow?
