Torrent files are part of a P2P (peer to peer) trading system that make transferring files from one person to another on the Internet very easy, quick and overall effective.

It is important to note that torrent sharing is different from other types of P2P services, most notably Kazaa. For instance, with Kazaa, you search for other Kazaa users using the P2P application to see what files they are sharing. With torrent sites, you go to an index web site that has torrent files (sometimes referred to as archives) which are files that contain the information required for a torrent client to find, manage and download the requested file.

Important Terms You Should Know When Downloading Torrent Files

It is important to be aware of the terminology used when downloading torrent files:

Client – A client is the actual P2P sharing program and it is usually an application that is downloaded and installed on the computer that you would like to use for sharing and downloading files. Two popular P2P clients are Azureus and UTorrent (more on these clients below).

Tracker – A tracker is a central server that manages the sharing of files among its many users. Most clients have built in trackers; there are also specific tracking programs such as BNBT and CBTT.

Seeder – A seeder is considered a computer that has a complete copy of a file another computer is requesting. For instance, if you would like to download an mp3, you must first make sure that the tracker can find a full copy (seed) of the file that you would like to download.

Leeches – A leach is a person that is downloading a file or files from other computers, but is not sharing any files of his or her own. Leeching is considered bad etiquette on P2P clients.

Swarm – A swarm is when two or more computers are simultaneously downloading and sharing the same file. Most clients allow a computer to download a file and then upload to others the parts that already have been downloaded.

.torrent – a torrent is a file that is downloaded from an index web site and sometimes referred to as an archive. It is a very small file usually less than 25bits, that is necessary for your client to start and manage the file transfer process so you can download the file.

How to Download a Torrent File

It is actually very easy to download a torrent file and usually takes less than 15 minutes to get started.

First download and install a torrent client. Remember the torrent client is considered the command center for your P2P file sharing. You can choose many different types of torrent sharing clients; however two highly recommended clients are UTorrent and Azureus.

Once you have your torrent client downloaded and installed, you will need to search for files that you would like to download. Usually you can visit many index web sites such as Pirate bay and Torrent Spy. Most torrent clients have a list handy of the best index web sites. Now, just search for the file that you would like to download. Some of these sites offer advanced searches such as the ability to search for a video file, music file, application file or all of the above. It is usually extremely easy to locate the torrent file that you would like to download.

Once you have searched for a specific file, your index web site should return a list of available torrent files. Look to see which torrent files have the most seeders, usually this will give you the fastest download times and highest quality files. Once you find the torrent file that you would like to download, click the download link and save it onto your computer. These files are usually very small, usually less than 25kbits.

Now that you have the torrent file or archive on your computer, double click this file and your torrent client should automatically open up. At this time, the tracker program will come online as well and will start to manage and download your file. While each client and tracker program is ifferent, you should be able to see how many people are downloading the file, seeding and sharing or leeching. You should also see the progress of your computer downloading the file and the amount of time remaining until the file is completely downloaded. All you have to do now is waiting until all the data is downloaded and then you can enjoy your new downloaded file.

Top P2P Torrent Clients

While there are more than a dozen P2P torrent clients available, two of the top rated P2P torrent clients are UTorrent and Azureus. Here is some more information.

UTorrent

UTorrent is actually torrent and means micro torrent. It is a freeware Bit Torrent client that works great on Windows computers. The major feature of this Bit Torrent client is that the entire program is only 173 Kb. This program was developed to require the least amount of computer resources and give as much functionality as possible. Although UTorrent is extremely small it has a lot of features including Unicode support, protocol encryption, peer exchange with other UTorrent users and Azureus users (this feature goes above and beyond normal P2P, similar to chat), configurable bandwidth settings, Customizable user interface, initial seeding and the availability of this application in 38 languages.

Azureus

Azureus is another P2P Torrent Client, it is based on Java, a programming language and supports many different anonymous protocols such as I2P and Tor. It is also a free software client and it works on many different platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux and UNIX.

One of the key features of Azureus is that it allows multiple download files easily from a GUI interface. It also has plenty of configurable settings and features useful statistics. Another great feature is that Azureus gives you the ability to determine your maximum upload and download speeds. You can also open up and view or hear files that are currently downloading, but not yet complete. This makes it easy to check the quality of the file before you spend a significant amount of time downloading it.

Azureus has its own tracker program so you can easily share files without uploading them to centralized sites. Azureus is considered one of the top Bit Torrent clients and has a wealth of features that are designed and integrated into the client very well. However, and because Azureus has plenty of features, it may drain certain computer resources, so it is a good idea to make sure you have a fast and powerful computer.

Advantages of Using Bit Torrent Clients

Bit Torrent Clients are usually the fastest, most affordable and most convenient way to share files among many users. Most Bit Torrent P2P users can find plenty of files available and download them with ease. With the explosion of broadband, you can easily find and download files of any size, from mp3′s to large multi gigabyte video files.

Disadvantages of Using Bit Torrent Clients

It is important to note that there are a few disadvantages of using Bit Torrent Clients, one main disadvantage is that many of these applications can use a tremendous amount of computer resources, leaving your computer when downloading files to do little else. Another common disadvantage is that sometimes Bit Torrent clients include adware or spyware. However, most do not so make sure you always download the client from the official web site and read the EULA (end user licensing agreement) to make sure there are no adware or spyware included.

The Legality of Bit Torrents

It is important to note that using a Bit Torrent client is perfectly legal, however downloading certain files that may include copyrighted material may not be legal in certain regions. It is important that you make sure the files that you download are legal before proceeding to download them. The use of Bit Torrents is not anonymous and can be traced back to your computer. For instance, your IP address can be traced back to your computer when downloading a file in certain cases.