diff --git a/platypush/backend/http/app/routes/file.py b/platypush/backend/http/app/routes/file.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d392487aa2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platypush/backend/http/app/routes/file.py
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import os
+import re
+from typing import Generator
+
+from flask import Blueprint, abort, request
+from flask.wrappers import Response
+
+from platypush.backend.http.app import template_folder
+from platypush.backend.http.app.utils import authenticate, logger
+from platypush.utils import get_mime_type
+
+file = Blueprint('file', __name__, template_folder=template_folder)
+
+# Declare routes list
+__routes__ = [
+    file,
+]
+
+
+@file.route('/file', methods=['GET', 'HEAD'])
+@authenticate()
+def get_file_route():
+    """
+    Endpoint to read the content of a file on the server.
+    """
+
+    def read_file(path: str) -> Generator[bytes, None, None]:
+        with open(path, 'rb') as f:
+            yield from iter(lambda: f.read(4096), b'')
+
+    path = os.sep + os.path.join(
+        *[
+            token
+            for token in re.sub(
+                r'^\.\./',
+                '',
+                re.sub(
+                    r'^\./',
+                    '',
+                    request.args.get('path', '').lstrip(os.sep).lstrip(' ') or '',
+                ),
+            ).split(os.sep)
+            if token
+        ]
+    )
+
+    logger().debug('Received file read request for %r', request.path)
+
+    if not os.path.isfile(path):
+        logger().warning('File not found: %r', path)
+        abort(404, 'File not found')
+
+    try:
+        headers = {
+            'Content-Length': str(os.path.getsize(path)),
+            'Content-Type': (get_mime_type(path) or 'application/octet-stream'),
+        }
+
+        if request.method == 'HEAD':
+            return Response(status=200, headers=headers)
+
+        return read_file(path), 200, headers
+    except PermissionError:
+        logger().warning('Permission denied to read file %r', path)
+        abort(403, 'Permission denied')
+
+
+# vim:sw=4:ts=4:et:
diff --git a/platypush/plugins/file/__init__.py b/platypush/plugins/file/__init__.py
index c1cd3b6d52..635a2ccff9 100644
--- a/platypush/plugins/file/__init__.py
+++ b/platypush/plugins/file/__init__.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import json
 import os
 import pathlib
-from typing import List, Dict
+from typing import List, Dict, Optional
 
 from platypush.plugins import Plugin, action
 
@@ -27,9 +27,14 @@ class FilePlugin(Plugin):
         """
         Read and return the content of a (text) file.
 
+        Note that this method should only be used for small text files, as it
+        reads the entire file in memory.
+
+        If you need to read large/binary files, consider using the
+        ``GET /file?path=<path>`` HTTP API endpoint instead.
+
         :param file: Path of the file.
         """
-
         with open(self._get_path(file), 'r') as f:
             return f.read()
 
@@ -84,7 +89,9 @@ class FilePlugin(Plugin):
             exist they will be created (analogous to mkdir -p) (default: True).
         :param mode: Access mode (default: 0755).
         """
-        pathlib.Path(self._get_path(directory)).mkdir(parents=parents, exist_ok=exist_ok, mode=mode)
+        pathlib.Path(self._get_path(directory)).mkdir(
+            parents=parents, exist_ok=exist_ok, mode=mode
+        )
 
     @action
     def rmdir(self, directory: str):
@@ -142,13 +149,13 @@ class FilePlugin(Plugin):
         :param symbolic: If True, then the target link will be a symbolic link. Otherwise,
             it will be a hard link (default: symbolic).
         """
-        file = pathlib.Path(self._get_path(file))
+        path = pathlib.Path(self._get_path(file))
         target = self._get_path(target)
 
         if symbolic:
-            file.symlink_to(target)
+            path.symlink_to(target)
         else:
-            file.link_to(target)
+            path.hardlink_to(target)
 
     @action
     def unlink(self, file: str):
@@ -160,7 +167,7 @@ class FilePlugin(Plugin):
         pathlib.Path(self._get_path(file)).unlink()
 
     @action
-    def list(self, path: str = os.path.abspath(os.sep)) -> List[Dict[str, str]]:
+    def list(self, path: Optional[str] = None) -> List[Dict[str, str]]:
         """
         List a file or all the files in a directory.
 
@@ -168,26 +175,30 @@ class FilePlugin(Plugin):
         :return: List of files in the specified path, or absolute path of the specified path if ``path`` is a file and
             it exists. Each item will contain the fields ``type`` (``file`` or ``directory``) and ``path``.
         """
-        path = self._get_path(path)
-        assert os.path.exists(path), 'No such file or directory: {}'.format(path)
+        path = self._get_path(path or '/')
+        assert path and os.path.exists(path), f'No such file or directory: {path}'
 
         if not os.path.isdir(path):
-            return [{
-                'type': 'file',
-                'path': path,
-                'name': os.path.basename(path),
-            }]
+            return [
+                {
+                    'type': 'file',
+                    'path': path,
+                    'name': os.path.basename(path),
+                }
+            ]
 
         return sorted(
             [
                 {
-                    'type': 'directory' if os.path.isdir(os.path.join(path, f)) else 'file',
+                    'type': (
+                        'directory' if os.path.isdir(os.path.join(path, f)) else 'file'
+                    ),
                     'path': os.path.join(path, f),
                     'name': os.path.basename(f),
                 }
                 for f in sorted(os.listdir(path))
             ],
-            key=lambda f: (f.get('type'), f.get('name'))
+            key=lambda f: (f.get('type'), f.get('name')),
         )