


This list of peers that all share the same torrent represents a ‘swarm’. The clients inform the tracker regarding the file they want to download, their IP and port and the tracker respond with a list of peers downloading the same file and their contact information. The tracker and the client exchange information using a simple protocol on top of HTTP.
FAST TRACKER FOR BITTORENT SOFTWARE
a static metainfo file (a torrent file)Ĭomponents of the BitTorrent architecture TrackerĪ BitTorrent tracker is server software that centrally coordinates the transfer of files among users, the tracker does not contain a copy of the file and only helps peers discover each other.The architecture normally consists of the following entities: That is, all nodes are absolutely equal and there is no single point dependency.Ī Hybrid P2P network is a P2P network where “a central entity is necessary to provide parts of the offered network services”.īitTorrent’s original form matches Hybrid P2P concept.Ī hybrid P2P network BitTorrent ArchitectureīitTorrent distributes a file by partitioning it into ‘pieces’ and distributing the pieces amongst its peers. P2P networks can be broadly divided into two categories: Pure P2PĪ pure P2P network is a P2P network where “any single, arbitrary chosen peer can be removed from the network without having the network suffering any loss of network service”. Unlike classic server/client model, where the client always initiates the communication by sending a request and the server can only send a response, in a P2P model all the participants are called ‘peers’ and have the same capabilities. The definition of P2P is ‘A communications model in which each party has the same capabilities and either party can initiate a communication session’. First, let's look into what peer-to-peer networks are before understanding how BitTorrent operates. Simply put, the BitTorrent protocol is a P2P file sharing protocol.
