This is a very interesting part of bitcoin that anyone who deals with BTC would like to know about. By name, the first thing that comes to mind is Utorrent. However, we will tell you what BitTorrent is and how it works. Even if you don’t use BitTorrent, the information we’re going to share will help you to learn the principles of cryptocurrency.

Definition

BitTorrent is not a program, but a method of distributing files using a peer-to-peer file-sharing system. It is widely known as a hacking method, but in reality, it is not, as it is a very useful decentralized peer-to-peer protocol that has significant advantages. One of these important aspects of BitTorrent is that it distributes files to all users who have downloaded or downloaded the file. Once a user has a file to share, they can start sharing without having to wait until the file is fully downloaded before sharing. 

The traditional method of uploading or sharing a file requires the home server to download the file, and then other servers can connect to it and retrieve the file. But with BitTorrent, file transfers are possible without a central server. There are different categories of people in the BitTorrent protocol, namely: Seeders, leeches, trackers, and indexers. Let’s consider each point.

Seeders and cleaners

Seeders are those who download files and share them with others, while leeches are those who download and disable sharing. The risk of a leech is that the tracker can ban you. It is recommended that you allow others to receive the file you uploaded. 

Trackers

A tracker is a server that directs peers, initiates downloads, and keeps statistics. Private trackers are membership-based and public trackers do not require registration. The downside of a public tracker is that you only have access to a limited number of files. An indexer is a community of users with rules binding them. This is the platform you go to if you want to upload, share or request files.

How does BitTorrent work?

That said, how then does BitTorrent work? How can you go about downloading, sharing, or requesting files? First and foremost, and just like every other software, you will need to download and install your desired BitTorrent client, for example, Utorrent. Once you have your torrent file in a well-organized location, double click on the torrent file to load in your client. You will notice a Utorrent dialogue box requesting the option for the specific download. Choose the desired location where the torrent will download into. After that has been done, click OK.You will notice from the main download dialogue box other options like pause, stop, play, etc. You can then choose to navigate and enjoy the program. 

BitTorrent and cryptocurrencies

Let’s talk briefly about BitTorrent and the cryptocurrency TRON, what makes them related. BitTorrent, Inc. – a US private company headquartered in San Francisco, was founded on September 22, 2004, by Bram Cohen and Ashwin Navin. At the peak of its popularity, BitTorrent had an audience of up to 150 million monthly active users. In June 2018, Justin Sun, the billionaire creator of the cryptocurrency TRON, bought the company. The protocol allows for the transfer of any file type. It helped to combine the BitTorrent network and the TRON blockchain, and so the Atlas project and the BTT cryptocurrency were created. The cryptocurrency BTT (BitTorrent Token) first became available for sale on 28 January 2019 on the Binance exchange. In just 15 minutes, 60 billion BitTorrent tokens were sold out. This generated about $7 billion for the team. Now the BitTorrent issue (number of coins in circulation) is 990,000,000,000. BTT can be obtained through an exchange for other currencies, or through an airdrop. An airdrop, planned for six years, is being produced for owners of the cryptocurrency Tron (TRX). To get BTT coins for free, all you need to do is keep any number of TRX tokens. But the more there are, the more BTT you will receive for the airdrop.

In conclusion, BitTorrent is a whole platform that enables you to explore and share information between users. Not all has been done on the program so far given that the BitTorrent team is still improving on the functionality of the product. However, with the information provided in this article, one is tempted to try it out.