It’s amazing how quickly BitTorrent has become one of the most popular protocol for downloading files on the internet. If you are still unaware of what BitTorrent is and how it’s different from other P2P networks, this guide will tell you everything you wanted to know about torrents, but were afraid to ask.
What is BitTorrent and How does it work?
BitTorrent is a protocol for downloading files using a distributed peer-to-peer file sharing system. It breaks up and distributes files in hundreds of small chunks so that your BitTorrent client starts sharing as soon as it downloads one chunk of the file instead of waiting for the entire file to be downloaded.
To share a file, peers who have already downloaded the entire file (known as ‘seeders’) first creates a small file called a ‘torrent’ (which uses the .torrent file extension). This file contains metadata about the files to be shared and about the ‘tracker’ server that coordinates the file distribution. Peers that want to download the file must find and download the torrent file and then open it with a BitTorrent client which then proceeds to download the file.
The more the number of seeders, the faster your download will be. Some clients also provide you with a health meter, which is generally a measure of seeders versus active downloaders.
Which is the most popular BitTorrent client?
While the word ‘BitTorrent’ usually refers to the BitTorrent protocol, there is also a BitTorrent client available by the same name. Besides this, uTorrent is one of the most popular Windows client for the BitTorrent protocol. If you are on Linux, then you can use Azureus or KTorrent.
How does BitTorrent compare with other forms of file transfer?
The http and FTP protocols use a central server which is always on and connected to the internet to send an entire file to each client that requests it. On the other hand P2P programs use the distributed and decentralised server system to transfer files.
However, there is a difference between BitTorrent and older P2P programs such as Kazaa, Limewire & Napster. First, unlike older P2P programs which offer an integrated search facility to find files available on its network, a BitTorrent user must find the initial torrent file by other means such as a web search. Secondly, as mentioned earlier, BitTorrent peers with even small parts of a file can upload those parts unlike older P2P programs where users can only upload files which they have finished downloading.
Maintaining Upload Download Ratio
In order to ensure you stay in good standing in the world of BitTorrent, you should always try to upload as much as you download. Most BitTorrent clients keep track of your upload / download ratio, and could ban you if you are a ‘leecher’ (i.e., don’t keep your ratio above a certain point)
Is BitTorrent Legal?
This is as good as asking “Is downloading legal?”. The protocol is completely legal; it is only the content that you download which could be legal or illegal. So you need to be sure that the music, videos or softwares you download is legal and authorised.
Is BitTorrent safe?
You need to be careful about what you are downloading, otherwise you could end up downloading a virus or a trojan horse. Moreover BitTorrent does not offer its users anonymity, so it is possible for anyone to obtain your IP address thereby exposing you to attacks
We also suggest that you use an IP blocking application such as PeerGuardian2 to prevent blacklisted IP addresses from connecting to your computer.
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