Before streaming took over the internet, torrents were the way for people to enjoy movies that you usually didn’t have access to. Visiting a torrent site and downloading a movie, music album, an e-book, a video game, and more, even though not recommended, was and dare say still is quite popular.
For many people in countries where streaming came out later, or the services still offer a very limited number of titles, torrenting is the obvious choice for people. However, accessing a ripped copy of any content is not something that is encouraged. But torrenting is not only that. Any Peer-to-Peer file sharing is still torrenting, and it can be used for many different purposes. Let’s dig deeper into it.
What is a torrent
When you download something off the internet and want to download something from software, for example, you click on “Download,” the magic happens behind the scenes, and there you go. You have the file on your device, and you should just install it. Torrents don’t work like that. When you are downloading torrents, you are not taking the file from a single server on one go. The torrent will be broken up into tiny pieces that are called “packets.” This is why P2P sharing allows exchanging files without uploading them to a server before that.
Not depending on a centralized server to download files means that many peers are involved in torrenting. Little pieces of data are saved on the devices that are participating in the sharing network. Those computers are called leechers, and each of them is sharing the files through a torrent program like, for example, BitTorrent. A similar program at the receiver’s end is putting the packets together. Like this, the receiver can benefit from the file in its entirety.
The way that torrenting works can result in slower download speed when not enough peers are online. Also, you should keep in mind that while downloading, you are actively participating in the uploading process as well. This means that you need to have a stable bandwidth to maintain a good overall speed. If you think that you can only be downloading – well, it isn’t and not recommended. In torrenting, the download speed and upload speed are linked in a way. The more you share, the more you can download and at a better speed.
Risks of torrenting
There are not a lot of risks when it comes to torrenting. Most people are worried if torrenting is illegal, and the answer is — in general, no. Sharing files over the internet is not illegal, but it can become if you share copyrighted material through a torrent client or website.
When it comes to the risk of viruses, you can also be relatively calm. Since the files are not coming from one place, it is hard to upload a virus on a file when you don’t know which piece of it will land where. And the torrenting community is making sure to alarm anyone about such files. The biggest issue might be that someone changed the torrent metadata in a way that corrupts its entirety, rendering it useless.
Knowing risks — if you still decide to try torrenting, have a look over the 4 valuable tips below.
Top 4 tips for torrenting
Following those 4 recommendations, you will be able to make your torrenting journey a bit easier.
Get a good VPN — Using a reliable and trusted VPN is the mandatory first step. This will guarantee you a safe and, more importantly, anonymous torrenting experience. The VPN will redirect your data through one or more servers, making it almost impossible to track the endpoint. Without such security, you will be exposed, and your data can be put at risk. To torrent without additional hazards, research which VPN to choose and find the one that will suit your needs. A reliable VPN also has an extensive network with P2P-optimized servers, making download speed quite faster.
Choose a great torrenting site — To start downloading, you need to find a tracker site that contains torrent files. They serve as a repository, where you can find different torrents that someone created there. Then other peers downloaded it and became part of the sharing network. There are many torrent sites to download new releases to choose from, but here are a couple of factors you might take into consideration:
- The Country availability
- The catalog of torrents
- The number of users
- The risk of possible downtimes
Use a reliable torrent client — When you have the torrents you want to download in mind, you need to have a client with which to do so. Since torrenting does not depend on only one person, this special program will connect you to other seeders. The client will be getting the packages from those leechers and putting them together on your device. When you choose a program to use, check for one that is easy to use, not too heavy on your computer, and can be customized in the way you want. Some of the most popular are — uTorrent, BitTorrent, qBittorrent, and Deluge.
Install antivirus software — As said, torrenting is generally safe, but it is always better to save than sorry. An antivirus program will provide you with an additional level of protection that will detect any malware, spyware, or viruses.
Wrapping Up
Torrenting is a great way to share content with other peers on the internet if you do it right. Once you find your initial torrent site, client, and a good VPN and antivirus, you are set to go. You will have access to unlimited content to enjoy.
