Skip to content

WebTorrent

parg edited this page Jan 5, 2022 · 4 revisions

WebTorrent allows direct browser-to-browser Bittorrent downloads by utilizing a WebSocket based tracker protocol and WebRTC peer connections. The peer-to-peer protocol is based directly on the Bittorrent protocol (once an RTC connection is established) while the tracker protocol flow is modified to allow the exchange of WebRTC offers and answers to facilitate the peer connection process. For more information, visit the WebTorrent Github Page

BiglyBT supports this with the WebTorrent Support plugin. Typically you will not need to install this plugin, as you will be prompted to install it when BiglyBT first detects a torrent with a WebTorrent Tracker.

Features

  1. Connect and transfer data with web peers
  2. Run a WebTorrent Tracker from within BiglyBT
  3. Add WebTorrent Trackers to existing torrents.

Caveats

  1. Prior to version 1.4.0 a dedicated instance of Chromium is used to bridge between web seeds and normal seeds. From 1.4.0 onwards an alternative implementation is used that doesn't require this - the Chromium bridge is retained as an option.