An Introduction to Torrenting

Today I will show you what the BitTorrent protocol is and how you can use it. This guide will focus broadly on Linux and Windows. If you use something else, then please let me know and I will tell you what I can.

Table of Contents

  1. Torrents Explained
  2. Getting Started with Torrenting
    1. A Word on VPNs
    2. Setting Up qBittorrent
      1. Using the Search Function
  3. Making BitTorrent Clients Open on Startup
  4. Torrent Safety
  5. See Also

Torrents Explained

The BitTorrent protocol was authored by programmer Bram Cohen in 2001. It was created to solve the problem of how much time and bandwidth it takes to download large files over a network. Torrenting is the act of downloading using this protocol.

Instead of getting the whole file from one computer, pieces of it are gathered from many computers at once and put back together. This all starts with a .torrent file; it holds, most importantly, information on the requested file(s) and a link to a tracker. A tracker is a kind of server that keeps track of where pieces of files are stored. A BitTorrent client will read the .torrent file, connect to the tracker and download pieces from other connected peers, verify these pieces and re-combine them.

At the same time, other peers can download pieces of the file from you. A full copy of the shared file is a seed and the computer sharing it a seeder. More seeds mean more options for where to download from and more chances to download in parallel. Therefore, downloads tend to become faster the more seeders present. It is considered good manners to seed the torrent after your download has finished, as it improves the health of the swarm (that is, the group of all peers downloading and sharing the file).

In spite of its reputation as a means of copyright infringement (legally not theft, but that's a story for another day), this is not its only use nor does that make torrenting itself illegal. Moreover, the protocol does have niche uses in legal activities involving large files: most Linux distributions use torrents for their many ISO variations and even The Unofficial Homestuck Collection has a torrent option (as I mention in my guide).

Getting Started with Torrenting

As stated above, you will need a torrent client and either a .torrent file or a magnet link (like a file, but all the information crammed into a hyperlink). To start a download, simply open the file/link in either the client itself or in your browser.

Whatever you do, please do not use µTorrent or anything from BitTorrent Inc! Their products are closed-source, advertisement-ridden spyware vastly outshone by free alternatives. Furthermore, the sheer volume of your data they collect is obscene, as described in BitTorrent Inc's privacy policy:

We may collect certain information automatically when you use our Services, such as your Internet protocol (IP) address, port number, user settings, MAC address, cookie identifiers, mobile carrier, mobile advertising and other unique identifiers, browser, software or device information, and Internet service provider...

Bloody hell!

A Word on VPNs

Torrenting for any reason carries inherent risks that you ought to know about:

  1. Whilst connected to a tracker, your IP address is publicly visible. Alone, this will only reveal your ISP and location up to your nearest city; combined with other data, it can be used to track or identify you.
  2. Your ISP can see what websites you visit and may block access if they find them unsavoury. They may also throttle your download speed.

The most popular method of concealing your activities is with a virtual private network (VPN hereafter). A VPN service allows you to connect to one of their servers, acting as a middleman between you and your ISP. This means that your VPN server's IP address will be visible in place of your own. So, whilst your ISP can see you're connected to a VPN, they cannot see what websites (including trackers) you visit.

When it comes to choosing a VPN: avoid any that are either free, as their business model likely involves advertising and selling your personal information to third parties; closed-source, as it's much harder to check for malicious code; or featured in a YouTube sponsor, as they likely have no clue what they're on about. I have been using Mullvad VPN for over two years and can attest to its quality. There's no affiliate links or lock-in yearly plans and they're honest about the limitations of VPNs.

Setting up qBittorrent

My personal favourite client for desktop computers is qBittorrent, for it is open-source and has ample privacy and security features. It can be installed on Windows or Mac by running the installer. For Linux users, you can run it from the AppImage, but installing from your package manager will be more convenient for something later.

Here is how I suggest you configure them when using public trackers:

  1. Go to Preferences, Advanced, Network Interface and then choose the option used by your VPN. If you don't know which it is, turn your VPN off to see what option disappears.
  2. Disable Local Peer Discovery. This feature allows the client to find peers on your local network, but will see no use without having many users who download the same things.
  3. Enable Anonymous Mode. This hides some information that may be used to identify you when connecting to trackers; mainly your user agent and client's name. This won't achieve much on its own, but having it on has had no effect on my connection speed.
  4. Under Encryption Mode, select Require Encryption. Whilst this does little that a VPN won't already cover, I'd say keep it on unless your download speed suffers.

A feature deserving of especial mention. Using the assortment of plugins, you can look for torrents quickly within your client. To do this:

  1. Under View, toggle Search Engine to make the tab appear
  2. Either download the plugin for your desired website or copy the link to the .py file
  3. Click Search plugins, Install a new one and then either Local file or Web link

With that, you're good to go!

Making BitTorrent Clients Open on Startup

Along with seeding, as I said above, setting your client to run at startup can be handy for you too; it can start downloading immediately without having to remember to open it first. Here's how you do that on Windows 10:

  1. Copy or make a shortcut to your client's .exe file that can be found at %ProgramFiles%\qBittorrent
  2. Paste that shortcut into the Startup folder (either %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup for users or %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp for the whole machine)
  3. The next time you restart, it will open once you're logged in.

This can also be done on Linux with your desktop environment's startup manager.

Torrent Safety

Whilst I would never be as brash as to give out websites like nyaa.si for anime, therarbg.com for films and 1337x.to for general use, should you choose to go on a torrent website, here are some top tips:

  1. Use a content blocker. Due to torrenting's blackened reputation, often the only people willing to advertise will be shady services or malware links. My own choice, uBlock Origin, will take care of most things with little fiddling needed.
  2. Ensure the download link actually ends in .torrent or starts with magnet:. It should appear in the bottom left corner of your screen on desktop or if you press and hold on mobile.
  3. Check the files the torrent points to have reasonable file extensions. Make certain that Show File Extensions is enabled in your file explorer. Malicious files are hard to hide amongst video or audio files, but be wary if it's software you're after.
  4. Always read any comments, as they may warn you of any untoward torrents.

Now good luck out there. Those Linux ISOs won't know what hit them!

See Also