Torrenting

Teja Krishna Mutluri

17131F0026
Contents

▪ What is Torrenting?
▪ History
▪ Traditional Client-Server Download
▪ HTTP vs BitTorrent
▪ How Torrenting works?
▪ Pros
▪ Cons
▪ Torrent Clients
▪ Conclusion
What is Torrenting?

▪ Torrenting is a kind of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing technology

where a number of users can connect and share their files rather than
being dependent on a single website or a source for downloading
files.
▪ A user can not only download the file from the direct source but also
from other users.
▪ It is easy to search a torrent file of your choice on the internet and
download it through a torrent application.
▪ A torrent file contains metadata about files or folders to be
distributed
History

▪ It was invented by Bram Cohen on April 2001.

▪ It was officially released for public on 2nd July 2001 and continuously
developed till 2008.
▪ Programming languages used are Python and C++
▪ As per BitTorrent Inc, the number of users per day over world is twice than the
users of Facebook and YouTube combined together.
Traditional Client-Server Download

▪ In Traditional Client-Server download the files are transferred by using FTP or

HTTP.
▪ The transfer speed is affected by number of parameters like
– Type of protocol
– The amount of traffic on the server
– The number of clients who are downloading the file

▪ If the file is large or popular, then the demand of the file will be more and it
will take more time to download.
Comparison between HTTP and BitTorrent:

HTTP Protocol BitTorrent Protocol

How Torrenting works?

To understand the Peer-to-Peer process, it is essential to clear out a few terms:

▪ Peers: All the users that are involved in the sharing for files through torrent P2P
sharing are called peers. They are said to be peers as long as they keep sharing
files on the network.
▪ Seeders: A user who is downloading a file from a torrent and simultaneously
uploading it to be used by other users is known as a seeder.
▪ Trackers: Trackers are servers that act as bridges between the peers. They
direct the packets from user to user.
Continued…

▪ Swarms: A number of peers downloading or uploading the same

torrent files are called swarms.
▪ Leechers: The peers who download a file but restrict uploading from
their server or stop the torrent as soon as their file is downloaded to
prevent the upload are called Leechers. Their intention is not to help
the other peers for download.
▪ BitTorrent Client: One of the main requirements for torrenting is the
presence of a client. The popular BitTorrent client now a days is
µTorrent.
General Idea of Torrenting:

▪ File is broken into many different pieces.

▪ Each piece is downloaded in the rarest first order from different
seeders.
▪ Once a peer has all the parts that make the file. It will become a
seeder.
Pros

▪ Easy to use.
▪ Faster Connection.
▪ If any peer fails, then download can be continued from other peers.
▪ Easier to search through the web.
▪ No central server is involved.
▪ It is free. No subscription is required.
Cons

▪ Tracker is needed for downloading file. If tracker fails, then download

will fail.
▪ Downloads can be difficult to finish if many users do not have a
particular part of the file.
▪ As well as downloading the file, you are also uploading too which is a
waste of bandwidth.
▪ It is also used for illegal purposes.
Torrent Clients

▪ µTorrent
▪ QBitTorrent
▪ Deluge
▪ Vuze
▪ BitCommet
Thank You
🥱