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rtorrent

Terminal-based BitTorrent client

TLDR

Start rtorrent and load a torrent file or magnet link
$ rtorrent [path/to/file.torrent]
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Start a download (within rtorrent)
$ Ctrl+s
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Stop a download (within rtorrent)
$ Ctrl+d
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View details about a selected torrent
$ Right Arrow
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Close rtorrent safely
$ Ctrl+q
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Set a download directory on startup
$ rtorrent -d [path/to/download/directory]
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SYNOPSIS

rtorrent [options] [torrent|magnet]

DESCRIPTION

rtorrent is a text-based BitTorrent client that runs in the terminal. It provides torrent downloading with a curses-based interface for monitoring and managing downloads.Use keyboard shortcuts to control downloads: Ctrl+s to start, Ctrl+d to stop or remove (press twice to delete with data), and Ctrl+q to quit safely. Press the right arrow key to view detailed information about a selected torrent, and left arrow to return to the main view.

PARAMETERS

-d directory

Set the default download directory.
-n
Do not load the ~/.rtorrent.rc configuration file on startup.
-o key=value
Set a configuration option directly from the command line.
-s directory
Session directory for saving torrent state between restarts.

CONFIGURATION

~/.rtorrent.rc

Main configuration file controlling download directories, connection limits, port ranges, DHT settings, and throttle rates.
/etc/rtorrent/rtorrent.rc
System-wide configuration file used as fallback when no user config exists.

CAVEATS

Configuration via ~/.rtorrent.rc file. Requires proper port forwarding for optimal speeds. Support for magnet links requires DHT enabled.

HISTORY

Written in C++ as a high-performance console BitTorrent client. Popular for headless servers and scripted environments.

SEE ALSO

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