Abstract: A method and system for electronically delivering files over a public network is disclosed. The network includes a plurality of computers including at least one server node and multiple client nodes. In a first aspect of the present invention, the method and system enable secure and reliable peer-to-peer file sharing between two client nodes. First, a digital fingerprint is generated and associated with a file in response to the file being selected for publication on a first client node. An entry for the file is then added to a searchable index of shared files on the server node, and the fingerprint for the file is also stored on the server. In response to a second client selecting the file from the search list on the server node, the file is automatically transferred from the first client node directly to the second client node.