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+# Simple File Server
+
+A lightweight, self-hosted file server built with Node.js, Express, and Vanilla JS. Designed for easy deployment via Docker with a focus on a clean, modern user interface.
+
+## 🚀 Features
+
+### Core Functionality
+- **File Management**: Upload (Drag & Drop), Download, Delete files.
+- **Folder Management**: Create, Delete, Move (Drag & Drop), and Navigate folders.
+- **Bulk Actions**: Select multiple files and download them as a single ZIP archive.
+- **Previews**: 
+  - **Media**: View images and videos directly in the browser.
+  - **Archives**: Preview ZIP file contents without downloading.
+
+### UI / UX
+- **Modern Interface**: Clean design with a responsive layout.
+- **Views**: Toggle between **Grid View** (great for media) and **List View** (great for details).
+- **Dark Mode**: Automatically respects system preferences, with a manual toggle.
+- **Breadcrumbs**: Easy navigation through deep directory structures.
+- **Search/Sort**: (Planned/In-progress)
+
+### Security & Backend
+- **Authentication**: Simple session-based login system (Default: `admin` / `admin`).
+- **Database Integration**: Connects to MariaDB for persistent user management and action logging.
+- **Dockerized**: specific `Dockerfile` and `docker-compose.yml` included for instant deployment.
+
+## 🛠️ Tech Stack
+
+- **Frontend**: HTML5, CSS3 (Variables, Flexbox/Grid), Vanilla JavaScript.
+- **Backend**: Node.js, Express.
+- **Database**: MariaDB.
+- **Containerization**: Docker, Docker Compose.
+
+## 📦 Deployment
+
+### Method 1: Docker Compose (Recommended)
+
+1. **Clone the repository**:
+   ```bash
+   git clone <your-gitea-repo-url>
+   cd simple-file-server
+   ```
+
+2. **Configure Environment**:
+   Create a `.env` file (or use default fallback) with your database credentials.
+   ```env
+   PORT=3000
+   SESSION_SECRET=your_secret_key
+   DB_HOST=maria.casademm.de
+   DB_USER=your_db_user
+   DB_PASSWORD=your_db_password
+   DB_NAME=fileserver
+   ```
+
+3. **Run with Docker Compose**:
+   ```bash
+   docker-compose up --build -d
+   ```
+   The server will be available at `http://localhost:8080`.
+
+### Method 2: Manual (Node.js)
+
+1. **Install Dependencies**:
+   ```bash
+   npm install
+   ```
+
+2. **Start the Server**:
+   ```bash
+   npm start
+   ```
+   The server will run on `http://localhost:3000`.
+
+## 📁 Project Structure
+
+- `public/`: Frontend assets (HTML, CSS, JS).
+- `routes/`: Express API routes (`auth.js`, `files.js`).
+- `db/`: Database connection and queries.
+- `uploads/`: Default directory for stored files (mounted volume in Docker).
+
+## 🔐 Default Credentials
+
+- **Username**: `admin`
+- **Password**: `admin`
+
+*Note: It is highly recommended to change these in the database or update the auth logic for production use.*