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itTorrent is a widely used communication method that uses the peer-to-peer protocol and accounts for the petabytes of data transferred across the internet. However, with the advent of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, BitTorrent’s dominance is witnessing a downfall.

WebTorrent is here to combine the two and provide video streaming over BitTorrent network. Yes, WebTorrent is the first streaming torrent client for your web browser. It’s written in the language of the web i.e. JavaScript – and employs the use of WebRTC instead of TCP/uTP for true P2P transport.

Sounds exciting, tell me more about WebTorrent!

First launched in 2002, BitTorrent simplified the transfer of large files over the Internet. WebTorrent combines the core technology of BitTorrent with a regular video streaming site, giving you the advantage of both.

Feross Aboukhadijeh, a Stanford University graduate, launched WebTorrent project with the help of hundreds of open source contributors. He seems convinced that it could revolutionize the way our web works today.

Talking to TorrentFreak, he says:

I felt that the idea of ‘people-powered websites’ – websites that are hosted by the visitors who use them – was too revolutionary to keep locked up as proprietary software, and I wanted to do more to push the idea forward.

He mentions that he wanted to create a video site like YouTube, where users will help to host the content using P2P protocol. The more people use the website, the faster and powerful it becomes. In simple words – WebTorrent is a BitTorrent client for the web. No installation, no extension, or no web browser plugin is needed.

To know more about the project, to get started, and to know how WebTorrent works, you can visit the link given below.

– BitTorrent over WebRTC

Watch video below about the intro to BitTorrent and WebTorrent (JSConf):

What do you think about the possible future applications of WebTorrent? Tell us in the comments below.

