Should I Build It Should I Build It
02 Jun 2025
Developer Tools

43. Safe File Opener in Browser Let users upload files (e.g., PDFs, ...

...DOCXs) that are opened in a secure iframe/sandbox (like a virtual environment) to prevent malware. Wrap it with virus scan + AI file summary.

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Run Away

Multiple attempts have failed with clear negative feedback. Continuing down this path would likely waste your time and resources when better opportunities exist elsewhere.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.

Your are here

Your idea for a safe file opener in the browser falls into a crowded space where several similar attempts have already been made. Our analysis reveals that this idea category, which we call "Run Away", isn't showing a lot of promise, with several instances drawing criticism. With 7 similar products already out there, the competition is significant. The engagement, with an average of 6 comments per product launch, suggests a moderate level of interest, but it isn't translating into positive signals for using or buying similar products (the net use and buy signals are neutral). The negative feedback from these similar products is something you should carefully consider. Proceed with caution, as the data suggests there might be better opportunities elsewhere.

Recommendations

  1. Begin by thoroughly analyzing the negative comments and criticism associated with the similar products, like concerns regarding server security, compression quality, and encryption vulnerabilities. For example, users have raised concerns about the security and privacy of running such services on remote servers. Understanding the reasons behind the rejection of these similar attempts can provide valuable insights for pivoting or improving your approach.
  2. Carefully assess whether your existing skills and expertise could be applied to solve a related but distinct problem. Given the concerns around security and privacy in existing solutions, consider if you can leverage your skills to offer a truly secure and private alternative, potentially focusing on client-side processing rather than server-side.
  3. If you have already started building this, explore if the underlying technology could be repurposed for a different application. If you've developed a secure sandboxing environment, perhaps it could be applied to other use cases beyond file opening, such as running untrusted code snippets safely.
  4. Conduct user interviews with at least three individuals who have tried similar products, to gain a deeper understanding of their unmet needs and pain points. Ask them about specific features they found lacking, security concerns they had, and how they envisioned a better solution. Use those to understand how users perceive the value of being able to examine files remotely vs. downloading them.
  5. Synthesize the information gathered from the negative feedback, competitive analysis, and user interviews to formulate a revised idea that addresses the shortcomings of existing solutions and offers a unique value proposition. Perhaps focusing on specific file types or integrating advanced threat detection could differentiate your offering.
  6. Before investing significant time and resources, create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that focuses on the core functionality and key differentiators of your revised idea. Deploy it to a small group of target users and gather feedback on its usability, security, and value proposition. Don't launch on Product Hunt just yet, but focus on getting a small group of dedicated users who can help you iron out the kinks.
  7. Focus heavily on clear communication regarding security and privacy. Many users express skepticism about remote file processing. Highlight how your solution mitigates risks through sandboxing, virus scanning, and potentially client-side processing. Be transparent about your data handling practices and consider obtaining relevant security certifications to build trust.

Questions

  1. Given the existing concerns around security and privacy with similar solutions, what specific architectural choices and security measures will you implement to ensure a truly secure and private file opening experience for users?
  2. How will you address the challenge of balancing file compatibility and security, ensuring that your solution can handle a wide range of file formats without introducing vulnerabilities?
  3. Considering the criticisms around the need for a download-free architecture, what unique value proposition does your solution offer that justifies its existence over traditional file scanning and opening methods?

Your are here

Your idea for a safe file opener in the browser falls into a crowded space where several similar attempts have already been made. Our analysis reveals that this idea category, which we call "Run Away", isn't showing a lot of promise, with several instances drawing criticism. With 7 similar products already out there, the competition is significant. The engagement, with an average of 6 comments per product launch, suggests a moderate level of interest, but it isn't translating into positive signals for using or buying similar products (the net use and buy signals are neutral). The negative feedback from these similar products is something you should carefully consider. Proceed with caution, as the data suggests there might be better opportunities elsewhere.

Recommendations

  1. Begin by thoroughly analyzing the negative comments and criticism associated with the similar products, like concerns regarding server security, compression quality, and encryption vulnerabilities. For example, users have raised concerns about the security and privacy of running such services on remote servers. Understanding the reasons behind the rejection of these similar attempts can provide valuable insights for pivoting or improving your approach.
  2. Carefully assess whether your existing skills and expertise could be applied to solve a related but distinct problem. Given the concerns around security and privacy in existing solutions, consider if you can leverage your skills to offer a truly secure and private alternative, potentially focusing on client-side processing rather than server-side.
  3. If you have already started building this, explore if the underlying technology could be repurposed for a different application. If you've developed a secure sandboxing environment, perhaps it could be applied to other use cases beyond file opening, such as running untrusted code snippets safely.
  4. Conduct user interviews with at least three individuals who have tried similar products, to gain a deeper understanding of their unmet needs and pain points. Ask them about specific features they found lacking, security concerns they had, and how they envisioned a better solution. Use those to understand how users perceive the value of being able to examine files remotely vs. downloading them.
  5. Synthesize the information gathered from the negative feedback, competitive analysis, and user interviews to formulate a revised idea that addresses the shortcomings of existing solutions and offers a unique value proposition. Perhaps focusing on specific file types or integrating advanced threat detection could differentiate your offering.
  6. Before investing significant time and resources, create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that focuses on the core functionality and key differentiators of your revised idea. Deploy it to a small group of target users and gather feedback on its usability, security, and value proposition. Don't launch on Product Hunt just yet, but focus on getting a small group of dedicated users who can help you iron out the kinks.
  7. Focus heavily on clear communication regarding security and privacy. Many users express skepticism about remote file processing. Highlight how your solution mitigates risks through sandboxing, virus scanning, and potentially client-side processing. Be transparent about your data handling practices and consider obtaining relevant security certifications to build trust.

Questions

  1. Given the existing concerns around security and privacy with similar solutions, what specific architectural choices and security measures will you implement to ensure a truly secure and private file opening experience for users?
  2. How will you address the challenge of balancing file compatibility and security, ensuring that your solution can handle a wide range of file formats without introducing vulnerabilities?
  3. Considering the criticisms around the need for a download-free architecture, what unique value proposition does your solution offer that justifies its existence over traditional file scanning and opening methods?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 7
  • Engagement: Medium
    • Average number of comments: 6
  • Net use signal: -7.8%
    • Positive use signal: 2.9%
    • Negative use signal: 10.7%
  • Net buy signal: -6.3%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 6.3%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

Similar products

Relevance

Explore zips and other archives from a safe distance before download

10 Sep 2023 Chrome Extensions

I just added the functionality to explore zip files to this remote document viewer. It's pretty cool to be able to do that, as with coverage of PDF, DOC/x, PPT/x, XLS/x, and many other formats, it takes care of many of the 'non-raw-browser-displayable' content that you might come across on the web, and want to inspect before downloading. (of course there are plugins for many of these, but that still requires download of the content to your local)In order to make this work for you, you need to set it running on a remote server. That way you can get it to download and view these kind of files before you actually bring them to your computer.

The comments highlight the addition of zip file exploration to the remote document viewer. There are concerns about the security and privacy of running the service on a remote server. Additionally, users question the necessity and benefits of a download-free architecture.

Users criticized the product for requiring a remote server setup, raising safety concerns about the server, and experiencing issues where features disappear when installed on another server.

Avatar
2
3
-66.7%
-66.7%
3
2
Relevance

SaferPDF Compress - Safe, fast and private - all without leaving your browser.

13 May 2024 SaaS Productivity Storage

Safe, fast, and private - without ever leaving your browser. Compress your files quickly and share them easily with your friends, family and colleagues.

The SaferPDF Compress launch on Product Hunt received positive feedback, particularly for its browser-based convenience. However, users raised questions regarding the quality of the compressed PDF files and concerns about privacy aspects of the service.

The primary criticism revolves around concerns about the product's compression and its potential impact on both the quality of the output and the actual privacy provided to users.

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21
2
2
21
Relevance

Browser-side encrypted file uploads

11 Jan 2024 Developer Tools

After developing a client-side encryption plugin for the Uppy uploader (https://github.com/0sumcode/uppy-encrypt), I created a proof of concept web app that encrypts files before upload (and decrypts them after download). There are other solutions like this, but I wanted one that was simple, fast, and open-source (https://github.com/0sumcode/0up) so others can adapt it for any projects that could benefit from it. I hope some folks find the service and/or code helpful!

Avatar
5
5
Relevance

Encrypt and upload files to IPFS from browser

27 Oct 2023 Storage

Hi HN, I'm building ThirdCloud with the goal to replace Google Drive for everyone: more private, cheaper & maybe better UI/UX.So far, I've successfully implemented the main feature, which involves uploading and downloading files. Files are encrypted before being sent to IPFS network.Would like to hear your thoughts on this proof of concept.

Users expressed concerns about IPFS security, data removal, and encryption, with specific mentions of quantum resistance and brute force probabilities. There were technical discussions on encryption algorithms like HChaCha20 and the impracticality of brute-forcing 512-bit keys. Questions arose about quantum computing's impact, IPFS's use case compared to Google Drive, and the service's reliability. Some users were interested in private storage solutions like Peergos and fleek.xyz. The relationship between IPFS files, NFTs, and smart contracts was debated, as was the service's pricing and storage limits. There were feature requests for optional encryption and deletion, and some users offered job opportunities while others showed skepticism towards cloud storage and NFTs.

Users criticized the product for breakable encryption, issues with IPFS data removal, and misconceptions about encryption strength. Concerns were raised about quantum computing's impact on security, the lack of incentives for entities like the NSA to crack IPFS files, and the inability to remove malicious content. Criticisms also targeted unclear encryption/storage details, restrictions on non-NFT data storage, and the service's limitations, including terms of service violations and pinning server use. Additional concerns included IPFS's complexity, cost, potential supply chain attacks, and reliability tied to the crypto market's volatility. The lack of open-source code and a simple user interface were also noted.

Avatar
73
35
-8.6%
-5.7%
35
73
5.7%
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