We propose schemes for the efficient information transfer between a propagating photon and a quantum-dot (QD) spin qubit in an optical microcavity that have no auxiliary particles required. With these methods, the information transfer between two photons or two QD spins can also be achieved. All of our proposals can work with high fidelity, even with a high leakage rate. What is more, each information transfer process above can also be seen as a controlled-NOT (CNOT) operation. It is found that the information transfer can be equivalent to a CNOT gate. These proposals will promote more efficient quantum information networks and quantum computation.