arvidn/libtorrent

libtorrent is an open-source C++ library that implements the BitTorrent protocol. BitTorrent is the system behind peer-to-peer file sharing, where files are distributed across many computers rather than downloaded from a single server. This library provides the underlying logic that an application needs to participate in that system: connecting to other computers, coordinating which pieces of a file to request from which peers, and managing the transfer. The library is written to be efficient enough for real-world use, not just as a reference implementation. It also supports many of the extensions to the core BitTorrent protocol that are commonly used in practice, which makes it suitable for building actual applications rather than just experimenting. It is configurable enough to run both on full server hardware and on smaller embedded devices. Developers use libtorrent as a building block when creating BitTorrent clients or any software that needs to send or receive torrent-based data. It also provides Python bindings, so it can be called from Python code in addition to C++. Building the library requires Boost, a widely used set of C++ utilities. The README points to the project's website at libtorrent.org for detailed build instructions and configuration options. The README in the repository itself is fairly brief and mostly directs readers to the external documentation for anything beyond the basics.