explaingit

blueimp/jquery-file-upload

★ 30,760PHPAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5MaintainedLicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A jQuery plugin that transforms file uploads with drag-and-drop, multiple file selection, progress bars, chunking for large files, and client-side image preview and resizing.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Drag and drop uploads
      Multiple file selection
      Progress tracking
      Resume interrupted uploads
    Features
      Client-side image resize
      File preview display
      Chunk large files
      Cancel mid-upload
    Use cases
      Photo gallery uploads
      CSV export forms
      Large file handling
      Admin panels
    Tech stack
      jQuery JavaScript
      HTML forms
      PHP backend demo
    Audience
      Web developers
      Frontend engineers

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Build a photo gallery where users drag images directly into the browser and see upload progress for each file.

USE CASE 2

Create an admin panel that accepts large CSV or database exports with automatic chunking for slow connections.

USE CASE 3

Add a resume-on-disconnect feature to a form so users don't lose progress if their internet drops mid-upload.

USE CASE 4

Let users preview and resize images before uploading them, reducing server storage and bandwidth costs.

Tech stack

jQueryJavaScriptHTML5PHP

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
MIT License, use freely for any purpose, including commercial projects, as long as you include the original copyright notice.

In plain English

jQuery File Upload is a plug-in for the jQuery JavaScript library that adds a polished file-upload experience to any web page. Instead of a plain file input that sends one file at a time and shows no feedback, this widget lets visitors select multiple files at once, drag and drop them from their desktop directly onto the browser window, watch individual progress bars as each file transfers, cancel an upload mid-way, and resume it later if the connection drops. It handles large files by splitting them into smaller chunks and sending those pieces one by one, useful when uploading videos or archives over a slow connection. Before a file even leaves the browser, images can be resized on the client side, and the user can see a preview of images, audio clips, or video files they have selected. No browser plug-ins such as Flash are needed because everything is built on standard HTML and JavaScript. The server side is deliberately not tied to any particular language or framework. Because it relies on standard HTML form file uploads under the hood, any backend, PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails, Java, Node.js, Go, or others, can receive the uploaded data without special configuration. A developer would add this to a project whenever they need a richer upload interface than the browser's default file picker: a photo gallery that lets users drag in batches of images, an admin panel that accepts large CSV exports, or any form that benefits from real-time upload progress feedback. It is written in PHP for the demo server component but is primarily a JavaScript client-side library.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to integrate jQuery File Upload into a simple HTML form that accepts multiple image files with drag-and-drop.
Prompt 2
How do I configure jQuery File Upload to split large video files into chunks and handle resume on connection loss?
Prompt 3
Write a basic PHP backend handler that receives chunked uploads from jQuery File Upload and reassembles them into a single file.
Prompt 4
How can I add client-side image resizing and preview to jQuery File Upload before the user submits?
Prompt 5
Set up jQuery File Upload to show individual progress bars for each file being uploaded simultaneously.
Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.