First, let’s try to figure out what BitTorrent (sometimes referred to simply as Torrent) is.

Let’s imagine you have a movie that you love and would like to make available to other people.

The easiest way to do so would be to share it through BitTorrent – a peer-to-peer protocol which allows users to download files from multiple sources (other peers, just like them) and to be sharing these files at the same time. It is cooperative distribution, per se.

Thus, BitTorrent has no servers and clients, all its users are peers, and they are equal – all of them download the files and share them at the same time.

Now, files with extension .torrent are small information metadata files that are vital to the BitTorrent protocol – they contain service information such as the addresses of trackers, file names, sizes, hash (special unique code) etc. In order to download a file from BitTorrent or to share one, you will always have to deal with .torrent files.

Ok, so you already understood that BitTorrent is a cool system and wish to download, say, Slumdog Millionaire from BitTorrent. What do you do?

First, you install a BitTorrent client – see more in our article “Top 10 BitTorrent Clients.”

Then you go to KickassTorrents.com or similar service, where .torrent files and information about trackers and files is published, and download a .torrent file. In fact, you can download it and save it to your computer or simply open the .torrent file with BitTorrent client right away, even without saving the .torrent to your hard drive.

As soon as you do, BitTorrent client will guide you through the process of downloading the file you need from BitTorrent protocol. Keep in mind that while you are downloading the file, you are also sharing it, so other users can download it from your computer. Moreover, when the download is complete, you become a seeder, and other BitTorrent users download it from your computer with even faster speeds.

We said that in order to publish a file of your own, you will have to deal with .torrent files as well. How does it work?

First, you need to create the .torrent file. To do so, you can either use special software (like TorrentBuilder, which you can download from our site and which is actually a part of a BitTorrent client – BitSpirit) or use the built-in features of your BitTorrent client. For example, uTorrent has a button dubbed “Create New Torrent.” The wizards of the applications you use will guide you through the process of creating a .torrent. Sometimes specific trackers have demands for .torrent files, so consult the tracker’s FAQ before you create the .torrent.

Then you simply post the .torrent file to a tracker. Each tracker has its own standards, and most require the publishers to also post at least basic information about the file, as well. If you don’t follow the tracker’s rules, you and/or your .torrent file may be banned.