A system and method for efficient and private peer-to-peer file sharing consists of ascribing a uniquely identified and anonymous link (an “edgelink”) to any file or set of files on a peer computer. The link is registered with a publishing server along with continuously updated connectivity information about the peer without registering any identifying information about the file. A peer recipient is able to access the link, receive connectivity information about the publishing peer from the server, and then receive the file from the publishing peer without file content passing through the server, mediating any intermediary NAT devices without requiring any manual or automatic device reconfiguration.