transmission-daemon
Headless BitTorrent client daemon
TLDR
Start the daemon
SYNOPSIS
transmission-daemon [options]
DESCRIPTION
transmission-daemon is a headless BitTorrent client that runs as a background daemon. It provides full BitTorrent functionality controlled via RPC interface, accessible through the web interface or transmission-remote command.
The daemon supports magnet links, DHT, peer exchange, encryption, and bandwidth scheduling. Configuration is stored in settings.json in the config directory.
The web interface (default: http://localhost:9091) provides a graphical way to manage torrents. For command-line control, use transmission-remote to add, remove, and manage torrents.
Stop the daemon before editing settings.json manually, as changes are overwritten on exit.
PARAMETERS
-g, --config-dir dir
Configuration directory location.-a, --allowed list
Comma-separated whitelist of allowed IPs (supports wildcards).-b, --blocklist
Enable peer blocklists.-t, --auth
Require authentication.-u, --username name
Authentication username.-v, --password pass
Authentication password.-p, --port port
RPC/web interface port (default: 9091).-w, --download-dir dir
Default download directory.--incomplete-dir dir
Directory for incomplete downloads.--watch-dir dir
Watch directory for new .torrent files.-er, --encryption-required
Require encrypted connections.-ep, --encryption-preferred
Prefer encrypted connections.-f, --foreground
Run in foreground.--dump-settings
Dump current settings to stderr.-h, --help
Display help.
CONFIGURATION
~/.config/transmission-daemon/settings.json
Main configuration file in JSON format containing all daemon settings including download paths, speed limits, peer options, and RPC authentication.-g, --config-dir dir
Override the default configuration directory location.TRANSMISSION_HOME
Environment variable to override the default config directory path.
CAVEATS
Settings file is overwritten when daemon exits. Web interface requires authentication in production. Default port 9091 should be firewalled from public access. Blocklist updates require daemon restart.
HISTORY
Transmission was created in 2005 and is one of the oldest actively maintained BitTorrent clients. The daemon mode enables headless operation for servers and NAS devices. It is known for its lightweight resource usage and cross-platform support.
SEE ALSO
transmission-remote(1), transmission-cli(1), rtorrent(1)