WebTorrent

WebTorrent is a peer-to-peer (P2P) streaming torrent client written in JavaScript that enables BitTorrent functionality directly within web browsers. Created by Feross Aboukhadijeh, the developer behind YouTube Instant, WebTorrent implements the BitTorrent protocol using WebRTC for peer-to-peer data transfer, allowing users to download and stream torrents without requiring traditional torrent client software.

The project consists of both a browser-based JavaScript library and WebTorrent Desktop, a standalone desktop application built with Electron. WebTorrent Desktop serves as a bridge between the WebTorrent network and traditional BitTorrent networks, enabling interoperability between web-based and conventional torrent clients. The software supports common video file formats and audio file formats for in-browser streaming, making it particularly suitable for media streaming applications.

WebTorrent is open-source software distributed under the MIT License and is actively developed on GitHub. The project has gained significant adoption in the web development community for its ability to bring decentralized file sharing capabilities to web applications without requiring users to install additional software or browser plugins.