Shareaza is a peer-to-peer file sharing client running under Microsoft Windows which supports the gnutella,Gnutella2 (G2),eDonkey,BitTorrent,FTP,HTTP and HTTPS network protocols and handles magnet links,ed2k links,and the now deprecated gnutella and Piolet links. It is available in 30 languages.
BitTorrent is a communication protocol for peer-to-peer file sharing (P2P),which enables users to distribute data and electronic files over the Internet in a decentralized manner.
MLDonkey is an open-source,multi-protocol,peer-to-peer file sharing application that runs as a back-end server application on many platforms. It can be controlled through a user interface provided by one of many separate front-ends,including a Web interface,telnet interface and over a dozen native client programs.
Magnet is a URI scheme that defines the format of magnet links,a de facto standard for identifying files (URN) by their content,via cryptographic hash value rather than by their location.
PeerGuardian is a free and open source program developed by Phoenix Labs (software). It is capable of blocking incoming and outgoing connections based on IP blacklists. The aim of its use was to block peers on the same torrent download from any visibility of your own peer connection using IP lists. The system is also capable of blocking custom ranges,depending upon user preferences.
In file sharing,super-seeding is an algorithm developed by John Hoffman for the BitTorrent communications protocol that helps downloaders become uploaders more quickly,but it introduces the danger of total seeding failure if there is only one downloader.
BitTorrent is a proprietary adware BitTorrent client developed by Bram Cohen and Rainberry,Inc. used for uploading and downloading files via the BitTorrent protocol. BitTorrent was the first client written for the protocol. It is often nicknamed Mainline by developers denoting its official origins. Since version 6.0 the BitTorrent client has been a rebranded version of μTorrent. As a result,it is no longer open source. It is currently available for Microsoft Windows,Mac,Linux,iOS and Android. There are currently two versions of the software,"BitTorrent Classic" which inherits the historical version numbering,and "BitTorrent Web",which uses its own version numbering.
A BitTorrent tracker is a special type of server that assists in the communication between peers using the BitTorrent protocol.
KTorrent is a BitTorrent client that is part of the KDE Gear.
FrostWire is a free and open-source BitTorrent client first released in September 2004,as a fork of LimeWire. It was initially very similar to LimeWire in appearance and functionality,but over time developers added more features,including support for the BitTorrent protocol. In version 5,support for the Gnutella network was dropped entirely,and FrostWire became a BitTorrent-only client.
File sharing is a method of distributing electronically stored information such as computer programs and digital media. Below is a list of file sharing applications,most of them make use of peer-to-peer file sharing technologies.
Transmission is a BitTorrent client which features a variety of user interfaces on top of a cross-platform back-end. Transmission is free software licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License,with parts under the MIT License.
Protocol encryption (PE),message stream encryption (MSE) or protocol header encrypt (PHE) are related features of some peer-to-peer file-sharing clients,including BitTorrent clients. They attempt to enhance privacy and confidentiality. In addition,they attempt to make traffic harder to identify by third parties including internet service providers (ISPs). However,encryption will not protect one from DMCA notices from sharing not legal content,as one is still uploading material and the monitoring firms can merely connect to the swarm.
Peer exchange or PEX is a communications protocol that augments the BitTorrent file sharing protocol. It allows a group of users that are collaborating to share a given file to do so more swiftly and efficiently.
Metalink is an extensible metadata file format that describes one or more computer files available for download. It specifies files appropriate for the user's language and operating system;facilitates file verification and recovery from data corruption;and lists alternate download sources.
Vuze is a BitTorrent client used to transfer files via the BitTorrent protocol. Vuze is written in Java,and uses the Azureus Engine. In addition to downloading data linked to .torrent files,Azureus allows users to view,publish and share original DVD and HD quality video content. Content is presented through channels and categories containing TV shows,music videos,movies,video games,series and others. Additionally,if users prefer to publish their original content,they may earn money from it.
The following is a general comparison of BitTorrent clients,which are computer programs designed for peer-to-peer file sharing using the BitTorrent protocol.
libtorrent is an open-source implementation of the BitTorrent protocol. It is written in and has its main library interface in C++. Its most notable features are support for Mainline DHT,IPv6,HTTP seeds and μTorrent's peer exchange. libtorrent uses Boost,specifically Boost.Asio to gain its platform independence. It is known to build on Windows and most Unix-like operating systems.
In the BitTorrent file distribution system,a torrent file or meta-info file is a computer file that contains metadata about files and folders to be distributed,and usually also a list of the network locations of trackers,which are computers that help participants in the system find each other and form efficient distribution groups called swarms. A torrent file does not contain the content to be distributed;it only contains information about those files,such as their names,folder structure,sizes,and cryptographic hash values for verifying file integrity. The term torrent may refer either to the metadata file or to the files downloaded,depending on the context.
μTorrent,or uTorrent is a proprietary adware BitTorrent client owned and developed by Rainberry,Inc. The "μ" in its name comes from the SI prefix "micro-",referring to the program's small memory footprint:the program was designed to use minimal computer resources while offering functionality comparable to larger BitTorrent clients such as Vuze or BitComet. μTorrent became controversial in 2015 when many users unknowingly accepted a default option during installation which also installed a cryptocurrency miner.
