File sharing is an indispensable element of the functioning of the Internet. Rather, even the Internet itself is the result of the exchange of information between people. One of the most developed exchange methods - BitTorrent - is popular not only in Russia, but all over the world. But what is the purpose of using it, and why do you need to create torrent distributions?
Bit torrent as one of the ways to share files
Before you understand the importance of torrents for the modern Internet community, you need to understand the very principle of torrenting.
Most often, torrent means only a client program through which files are exchanged, although in fact, initially, a torrent (BitTorrent) meant only a special protocol for cooperative file exchange, which was developed in 2001.
Many do not guess, but there are about three dozen programs working on the BitTorrent protocol, but the most popular of them - BitTorrent - has the name of the protocol itself, because it was developed by the same Bram Cohen.
The principle of operation of the program lies in the use of this protocol, and also in the fact that the program itself and the protocol do not store the information transmitted between users at all - this data is stored on the local computers of users who participate in the "distribution".
After the start of the “distribution”, only one person has the file to be distributed, and after the file is downloaded by another participant, it is conditionally “divided” into two parts (50% each). Thus, the third person will receive the file from the "distribution" by downloading two parts of the file from two different users.
The more people participate in the distribution, the faster the file is downloaded, and the less load each participant in the distribution feels.
The distribution participants are divided into two types: "peers" - those who have not yet downloaded the file (in the process) and "seed" - those who have all the segments of the file and are the distributor.
In addition to the two main types of participants in torrent distributions, there is a third, rather informal type of users - "lychee" (English leech - leech). "Leeches" refers to users who only download files, deciding not to get into the distribution after a successful download. By "liches" we mean users who only download - do not share with others.
Why share files via torrents?
The question of whether to become a "giver" of torrent trackers is extremely subjective: it all depends on the user's preferences and preferences in favor of one or another type of information exchange.
BitTorrent has been around for a long time and has established itself as an excellent and, moreover, a free way to transfer large files cooperatively. At the same time, torrents are also suitable for those people who do not have a high-speed Internet connection.
Should I become a "distribution"?
The question of whether to stand in the distribution is more a matter of ethics and pragmatics. On the one hand, even 30 hands can significantly slow down the speed of a user's Internet connection; on the other hand, it is a good habit to help people who have previously been in the same situation as you.
