Torrenting is a method used to distribute files over the internet. A torrent file contains metadata about the contents to be distributed. In addition to metadata, a torrent file contains a list of trackers. The torrent file itself doesn’t contain the file data but contains file and folder names and their structures.
How Torrenting Works
Torrenting is the process of downloading and uploading files using BitTorrent. BitTorrent works by splitting a file into hundreds or even thousands of pieces. Those pieces are gathered and assembled to create the original file with the help of BitTorrent clients on the users’ computers.
This helps users download the required files with ease, irrespective of their size. The BitTorrent protocol, after being introduced, became a huge success and was a game-changer.
Some special terms in BitTorrent that might help you understand it better:
Seed: The server that initially distributes the torrent file is a seed.
Peer: Any machine that downloads the torrent file from the seed and also shares the file with other devices is a peer. Any peer that has a complete file downloaded can also act as a seed.
Leech: A peer that does not share its data fragments with other peers after downloading is called a leech.
Swarm: A swarm is a network consisting of seeds and peers.
Tracker: Tracker is software that helps in coordination between different peers for file transfer.
The best torrent sites always have high-quality content and a hefty number of seeds available. There are lots of torrent sites flooded with ads, trackers, malicious code, and fake torrents. Therefore, it is always recommended to use a decent ad blocker while accessing those ad-filled torrent sites. In this article, I’m going to discuss some of the best torrent sites available on the web right now.
1. The Pirate Bay
It is the oldest (20 years old) and most popular torrent site. With a monthly user base of nearly six and a half million, it is clearly the current king of torrent sites. Due to such a massive load, this site often goes down at regular intervals. That kind of massive user base at the Pirate Bay hosts a good amount of seeded torrent files there.
2. 1337X
After being started in 2007, 1337x only started to gain popularity in 2016 after the end of the popular torrent provider Kickass Torrents that year. Now 1337x ranks among the top torrent sites with a large user base. The site is famous for having all kinds of torrent files, like movies, music, documents, and many more, that users can download with a decent amount of seeds and peers. Fun fact: The “1337” in the name of this site represents the word “LEET”, which in fact depicts “Elite”.
3. RARBG
It is often popular for its smooth user interface which allows users to search for torrent files instantly. The site has been in operation since 2008. This site is blocked in 17 countries for legal reasons ( copyright infringement) including Australia, India, and China. This site doesn’t allow users to upload on their own.
4. YTS
With a beautiful user interface and a huge library of movies that users can search and download, YTS is easily the most popular torrent site for movies. Many users also claimed YTS was the “simplest movie torrent downloader”. Users can download their required torrent file at a decently high speed from YTS. There are also various options to download files according to the network speed and quality of the user.
5. LimeTorrent
Also known as the most trusted torrent site, LimeTorrent has a huge database that consists of nearly 10 million torrent files. The database is regularly updated, since every day many more new files get uploaded. The average download speed of LimeTorrent is around 2.5 megabytes per second, which is pretty decent. Even if it is banned in countries like the UK, France, and Australia, LimeTorrent is able to maintain that large user base, which is remarkable.
6. TorrentDownloads
Having a larger database with high-quality torrents makes this site a top choice for many users. That’s because of the high-speed download it provides. This site is popular for having classic and older files that users cannot find elsewhere.
7. Torrentz2
Torrentz2 is another popular torrent site that also has millions of visits every month. This site, despite having all kinds of files available for download in its database, is most popular for music. The most special thing about this torrent site is that it fetches files from more than 90+ torrent sites. People generally use Torrentz2 as an instant alternative to other sites they use. In the past year, Torrentz2 used to have spammy and misleading links, but with time, they have improved their site.
8. IPtorrents
This is a different type of torrent site than the ones listed above. They are public torrent sites that can be accessed by anyone. IPtorrents, on the other hand, is a private torrent site that you will need an invitation to enter. To download torrent files from here, you need to pay a certain amount. The site being private is much safer, and it is also one of the biggest private torrent sites because of its huge database.
Final Thoughts on the Best Torrent Sites
It is recommended that you do not use torrents for illegal activities. You can download copyright-free items without any legal issues. However, for some privacy, always use a good torrent VPN. Using such a VPN helps you protect your identity, increase download speed ( by preventing ISP throttling), etc.
These days, torrent sites are now restricted in some countries due to the censored content they contain. Some bad torrent sites were also banned after they were found using users’ CPUs for crypto mining. Torrent sites can be banned or blocked at any time. If one goes down, another takes its place. Despite the fluctuations, people’s love for torrents is still at an all-time high.
Don’t forget to always use a reliable site to download torrents, and don’t forget to use a VPN.