webtorrent
Advanced tools
Warning: This is pre-alpha software. Nothing works yet. Watch/star to follow along with progress.
#webtorrent on Freenode. Take a look at the open issues and see what you can help with.Here's how to get started:
git clone https://github.com/feross/webtorrent.git
cd webtorrent
npm install
npm start
video tag with MediaSource API when possibleBuild a browser BitTorrent client that requires no install (no plugin/extension/etc.) and fully-interoperates with the regular BitTorrent network. Use WebRTC Data Channels for peer-to-peer transport.
Since WebTorrent is web-first, it's simple for users who do not understand .torrent files, magnet links, NATs, etc. By making BitTorrent easier, it will be accessible to new swathes of users who were previously intimidated, confused, or unwilling to install a program on their machine to participate.
Most of the active development is happening inside of smaller npm modules which will be used by WebTorrent. These are the modules I am writing to make WebTorrent work:
"When applications are done well, they are just the really application-specific, brackish residue that can't be so easily abstracted away. All the nice, reusable components sublimate away onto github and npm where everybody can collaborate to advance the commons." — substack from "how I write modules"
Problem: WebTorrent clients and normal BitTorrent clients cannot directly connect because WebRTC cannot open UDP/TCP sockets. This is a security restriction on WebRTC that is unlikely to change. So, how do we get content into the WebTorrent network?
Best solution: Mainstream BitTorrent clients add support for WebTorrent. Basically, normal clients implement WebRTC so that WebTorrent clients can directly connect to them. (This could happen once WebTorrent has a lot of users.)
Good solution: Users who want to download torrents that aren't yet seeded by any WebTorrent users need to install a "hybrid client" that implements WebTorrent and BitTorrent. This can be implemented as a Chrome/Firefox App/Extension that bridges the two networks like this:
video tagWebTorrent is only possible due to the excellent work of the following contributors:
| Feross Aboukhadijeh | GitHub/feross | Twitter/@feross |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Posch | GitHub/dcposch | Twitter/@dcposch |
| John Hiesey | GitHub/jhiesey | Twitter/@jhiesey |
| Travis Fischer | GitHub/fisch0920 | Twitter/@fisch0920 |
| Astro | GitHub/astro | Twitter/@astro1138 |
| Iván Todorovich | GitHub/ivantodorovich | Twitter/@ivantodorovich |
| Mathias Buus | GitHub/mafintosh | Twitter/@mafintosh |
MIT. Copyright (c) Feross Aboukhadijeh.
FAQs
Streaming torrent client
The npm package webtorrent receives a total of 2,507 weekly downloads. As such, webtorrent popularity was classified as popular.
We found that webtorrent demonstrated a healthy version release cadence and project activity because the last version was released less than a year ago. It has 10 open source maintainers collaborating on the project.
Did you know?
Socket for GitHub automatically highlights issues in each pull request and monitors the health of all your open source dependencies. Discover the contents of your packages and block harmful activity before you install or update your dependencies.
Security News
Node.js will be enforcing stricter semver-major PR policies a month before major releases to enhance stability and ensure reliable release candidates.
Security News
Research
Socket's threat research team has detected five malicious npm packages targeting Roblox developers, deploying malware to steal credentials and personal data.
Security News
vlt introduced its new package manager and a serverless registry this week, innovating in a space where npm has stagnated.