Description
Simple File Vault is a fast, lightweight, and secure frontend file manager and client document portal. Designed for agencies, law firms, accountants, consultants, and WooCommerce site owners, it lets you exchange private documents with clients directly on your WordPress site—without giving them access to the WordPress admin dashboard.
Whether you need a frontend file upload form, a client-facing download portal, or a secure self-hosted alternative to Dropbox, Google Drive, or the discontinued File Away plugin, Simple File Vault delivers modern performance with zero database bloat.
🔗 View Live Demo | 🚀 Upgrade to Simple File Vault Pro
Why Choose Simple File Vault?
- No Admin Access Required: Keep clients and external users completely on the frontend.
- Modern Alternative to File Away: Clean, modern, secure code base built for current WordPress standards without legacy vulnerabilities.
- Rock-Solid Security: Automatic server-level directory shielding (
.htaccessandindex.php), strict MIME validation, and path traversal mitigation protect your server from unauthorized script execution. - Blazing Fast Layouts: Hardware-accelerated CSS Grid and List layouts display documents cleanly on desktop, tablet, and mobile.
- Native Gutenberg & Shortcode Ready: Add a vault anywhere using native Gutenberg blocks or the flexible
[sfvlt_safe_file_vault]shortcode.
Core Features (Free Version)
- Drag-and-Drop Frontend Uploader: Effortless document submission for clients, partners, and visitors.
- Instant Lightbox Previews: In-browser preview modal for PDFs, images, and streaming audio/video (MP4, MP3, WebM) without forcing an immediate file download.
- Secure Path Isolation: Uploads are stored in isolated, non-browsable directory structures (
wp-content/uploads/safe-vault/). - Automated Email Notifications: Instantly alert administrators or clients whenever new files are submitted.
- Webhook Automation: Send instant file-upload event payloads directly to Zapier, Make, Slack, or Microsoft Teams.
- FTP / SFTP Drop-In Support: Drop files directly into your server directory via FTP/SFTP and they immediately populate the frontend file list.
- Dynamic Scoping: Supports dynamic replacement tags (
{user_id},{username},{user_role},{post_id}) in shortcodes and blocks. - Visual File Badges: File extension icons, status tags, and favorite star indicators for effortless document browsing.
Take It Further with Simple File Vault Pro
Need client isolation, individual client vaults, or role-based document access? Upgrade to Simple File Vault Pro to unlock enterprise-grade tools:
- 📁 Nested Subfolders & Directories: Create unlimited folder trees to organize contracts, invoices, and assets.
- 🔒 Role-Based & User-Specific Access Control: Restrict specific folders to selected user roles or create completely private, 1-on-1 client portals (
/clients/{username}/). - ⚡ Lightning AJAX Search & Pagination: Instant live search across thousands of files with full Unicode support.
- 📦 Bulk Operations & ZIP Downloads: Allow users to select multiple documents and download them together in a single compressed ZIP file.
- ⏳ Expiring Share Links & Download Limits: Generate time-limited, passwordless download links and configure automatic file deletion lifespans.
- 🔄 Pro Dashboard FTP Sync: Deep-scan FTP-uploaded folders to automatically index metadata, custom tags, and permission rules.
Screenshots
Blocks
This plugin provides 2 blocks.
- Safe File Vault Table Displays the uploaded secure vault files in a table.
- Safe File Vault Uploader A secure drag-and-drop file uploader block.
Installation
- Upload the
simple-file-vaultfolder to your/wp-content/plugins/directory, or install it directly through the WordPress admin screen (Plugins > Add New). - Activate the plugin through the Plugins screen.
- Add the Safe File Vault Table block (or shortcode
[sfvlt_safe_file_vault]) to any page or post to display your files. - (Optional) Add the Safe File Vault Uploader block to allow frontend file uploads on that page.
FAQ
-
Is Simple File Vault free?
-
Yes! The core Simple File Vault plugin is 100% free and includes frontend uploading, secure path isolation, live preview lightboxes, and webhook notifications. Simple File Vault Pro is available for advanced features such as individual user directories, role permissions, ZIP batch downloads, and expiring links.
-
Is this a secure replacement for File Away?
-
Yes. While legacy plugins like File Away were popular, many were abandoned and posed severe security risks. Simple File Vault was built from scratch following modern WordPress security best practices, including nonce verification, strict MIME type checks, dynamic directory masking, and automated index protection.
-
Where are uploaded files stored?
-
Files are placed in a protected directory within
wp-content/uploads/safe-vault/. Direct folder browsing is blocked by default via automated.htaccessandindex.phpgatekeeper files. -
Can I upload files via FTP or SFTP?
-
Yes. You can upload files directly into
wp-content/uploads/safe-vault/via FTP/SFTP, and they will display in your file vault tables immediately. -
Can I give each client their own private upload folder?
-
With the Free version, you can display files dynamically using the
{username}or{user_id}shortcode attributes. Simple File Vault Pro provides complete role-based permission locks, private subfolder access walls, and automatic client directory generation.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“Simple File Vault – Secure Client Document Manager, File Sharing & Frontend Uploader” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.1.1
- Fix: Resolved dynamicPath / folder attribute mapping in Gutenberg Safe File Vault Table and Uploader blocks so subdirectories lock correctly.
- Enhancement: Added automated subdirectory creation upon upload if the target folder does not yet exist.
- Enhancement: Added dynamic tag replacement ({user_id}, {username}, {user_role}, {post_id}) in block templates and shortcodes.
1.1.0
- Feature: Integrated interactive Live Preview Modal Lightbox into core for instant PDF, audio, video, and image document inspection.
- Feature: Added visual Star indicators for favorite files and tag badges in frontend file list views.
- Feature: Added automated Admin and Client email notification triggers upon successful file upload submissions.
- Feature: Added Webhook integrations support (Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zapier) and download countdown timer settings.
- Enhancement: Implemented automated production minified asset pipeline (
view.min.js,index.min.js) withSCRIPT_DEBUGdevelopment fallbacks. - Enhancement: Refactored directory path resolution utilizing native WordPress core mechanics (
wp_normalize_path,validate_file). - Security: Hardened REST download gateways with protective HTML gatehouse challenges and HMAC-signed folder verification.
- Compliance: Complete WordPress.org standard compliance migration, applying unique
sfvlt_prefixing and passing WP-CLI plugin-check validation with zero errors.
1.0.0
- Initial release of Simple File Vault.
- Implemented core secure path isolation.
- Added flat-folder upload form and frontend file layout view.