Bittorrent Review

The protocol relies on several key technical components to ensure speed and reliability:

: To ensure a file remains available even if the original uploader (the "seeder") leaves, clients prioritize downloading the pieces of the file that are least common within the swarm. Terminology BitTorrent

: A game-theoretic incentive system where peers prioritize sending data to those who are currently uploading data back to them, discouraging "leeching" (downloading without sharing). The protocol relies on several key technical components

: Servers that keep track of which peers are in a swarm and help them find each other. BitTorrent

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing protocol designed for the efficient distribution of large amounts of data across the internet. Created by Bram Cohen in 2001, it differs from traditional client-server downloads by allowing users to download pieces of a file simultaneously from multiple different sources (other users) rather than a single central server.

: A collection of peers (users) who are all simultaneously uploading and downloading the same file.