rTorrent
The facts below are what the maker publishes about rTorrent, checked and dated. Our editors have not written about it yet.
The facts
Each one read from rTorrent's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Bandwidth controls
- The client offers upload and download throttles, which the user guide says apply globally rather than per torrent.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Build dependencies
- The README lists libcurl, a matching-version libtorrent, and ncurses as dependencies.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Daemon mode
- The wiki says versions 0.9.7 and later have a built in daemon mode that disables the user interface and can be controlled via XMLRPC.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Dependencies
- The repository README lists libcurl, a matching-version libtorrent, and ncurses as dependencies.checked 10 Oct 2026
- DHT
- DHT can act as a backup tracker when regular trackers are unavailable or insufficient and enables trackerless torrents.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Distribution
- The wiki lists packages for Linux distributions including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and NixOS, and also mentions FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and macOS via Homebrew.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The project provides source releases and documents compiling the client or deploying it with Docker.checked 10 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository README identifies the project license as GNU GPL.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Maintainer
- The project site says rTorrent is maintained by rakshasa, and the repository AUTHORS file names Jari Sundell.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Monitoring
- The interface displays torrent status, transfer rates, uploaded data, estimated completion time, peers, trackers, and chunk availability.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Peer controls
- The peer list supports snubbing, kicking, and banning peers.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Product
- rTorrent is a ncurses-based command-line BitTorrent client described as designed for high performance.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Project maintenance
- The official site says the project is maintained by rakshasa and invites donations to support development.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Protocol encryption
- Encryption policies include deny, allow, prefer, and require, with allow as the documented default.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Remote control
- Version 0.9.7 and later includes a daemon mode that disables the user interface and is controlled via XMLRPC.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- The official site directs users to the project wiki to learn how to use rTorrent.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Terminal companions
- The wiki describes rTorrent as ideal for use with tmux, screen, or dtach.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Torrent management
- Users can add torrents from a URL or file path, start or stop downloads, and remove stopped downloads.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Transfer controls
- The client provides global upload and download throttles; its user guide says throttling is applied globally rather than per torrent.checked 10 Oct 2026
- XMLRPC security
- The project warns that XMLRPC methods can execute system commands and recommends protecting API access, including using a local Unix socket with a reverse proxy and authentication.checked 11 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Linux packages
- The project wiki lists packages or install instructions for Linux distributions including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and others.checked 11 Oct 2026
- macOS availability
- The project wiki lists installation through Homebrew with the command brew install rtorrent.checked 11 Oct 2026
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