A light file server that runs completely in an Arduino Nano Esp32
– March 4, 2025
Starting file servers can be very useful for people working on multiple devices and want easy access to their documents. And there are many DIY construction guides out there. But most of them are NAS (network storage) devices and tend to trust a single plate computers. Those take a long time to start and consume a lot of power. This ZombiesChannel light file server is different, because it runs completely in an Arduino.
A ESP32 is a microcontroller with incorporated connectivity (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth). Like all MCU, you can “start” and start running your firmware almost instantly. And while executing, it will consume much less power than a conventional PC or a single board computer. The Zombieschannel project demonstrates that the Arduino Nano Esp32 is suitable for a file server, if their expectations are modest.
The hardware for this project consists of an ESP32 Nano, a SD card reader module and a small monochromatic OLED screen. The SD card provides file storage and the OLED shows state information.
Most of the work was destined to write the firmware, which Zombieschannel did with the help of Chatgpt. Which makes Arduino house a basic web interface that local users can access to load or download files. Zombieschannel also created a command line interface that provides more comprehensive access through a serial connection.
This has limitations and transfer speeds are quite slow for modern standards. But the file server seems useful for small files, such as text documents. ZombiesChannel plans to design a venue for the device and should discreetly put into a corner, where it can work without attracting a lot of power.
