| BitTorrent Information Format | |
| BitTorrent | |
| Ads |
Files with the .TORRENT extension contain metadata about a file or a group of files available for download from the BitTorrent file distribution network.
The data concerns the file names, the file sizes, the sizes of the parts, the folder structure, as well as the URL address of the tracker and the control sums of the individual parts of files; they can also contain different, expanded information. TORRENT files do not contain the downloaded data, such as movies or music – those are saved on the disc by the relevant software – the BitTorrent network client.
TORRENT file extension is used by peer-to-peer (P2P) internet file sharing program BitTorrent. TORRENT file don’t store the actual data, only metada that contains information about the downloaded files, for example, file size or location.
Dividing files into fragments
BitTorrent file sharing technology allows files to be fragmented into smaller parts and downloaded simultaneously by multiple clients. The solution enables main server bandwith conservation and reduces download times. Information stored in TORRENT files allows recreation of the file from downloaded fragments.
TORRENT files use peer-to-peer file sharing model, because file fragments are downloaded from various users. For example, two users that have different parts of the same data can share their respective fragments over the network to allow each user to recreate the complete file.
Huge popularity of TORRENT files
Using TORRENT files is one of the most popular method of sharing files over the internet as virtually any type of file or data can be distributed over P2P networks. Typically TORRENT files are used for sharing movies, music, or computer games. TORRENT files became popular due to their small size and simplicity. BitTorrent network has its darker side also – it is used to large extent for sharing copyrighted materials, which is considered illegal.
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