Almost everyone has heard the word torrent and mostly associates it with piracy. In reality it is just a technology for sharing files, one that has many legal uses too. Let us explain what torrents are, how they work and where the line between legal and illegal use lies.

What a torrent is

A torrent is a way for users to exchange files directly between themselves, without a single central server. This is called peer-to-peer (P2P), that is equal with equal. A file is not downloaded from one place, but in small pieces at once from many people who already have it. From these pieces the file is gradually assembled for you.

How it works

The whole thing is driven by a small torrent file or a magnet link, which contains a description of what to download and from where. A program called a torrent client uses it to connect to the other users:

  • A seeder is someone who has the whole file and shares it with others.
  • A leecher is the one who is currently downloading the file (and usually shares the downloaded parts on).
  • A tracker is a helper that connects users to each other.

A simple rule applies: the more seeders, the faster the download.

Why it is fast and resilient

Since you download from many people at once, you do not load a single server and the speed adds up. Moreover it has no single weak point: when one source drops out, the others continue. That is exactly why torrents suit spreading large files to many people.

This is important. The technology itself is completely legal and is commonly used for legitimate purposes:

  • distribution of operating systems, for example Linux installation images,
  • large open-source packages and game updates,
  • scientific and public data sets.

It is illegal to download and share copyrighted content without permission, that is films, music, games or paid software. That is a breach of copyright regardless of the fact that technically it is the same technology.

What the risks are

  • Malicious code. Files from illegal sources often contain viruses and fraudulent software.
  • Your IP address is visible. With torrents, the other participants see your public IP address.
  • Legal consequences when downloading protected content.

For legal use, always verify the source and the checksum (hash) of the file, so you are sure it is undamaged and genuine.

Dealing with safe downloading or privacy on the internet? A VPN can also help. Get in touch, we will gladly advise and set the network up securely.

This article is part of our Software and system overview.