Torrents are computer files available for others to download.
The term "Torrent" has three possible meanings. However all three are part of the BitTorrent file sharing system. BitTorrent is a protocol created in 2001 by Bram Cohen. It differs from other file sharing systems by defining each file in blocks. This enables a file to be copied from several different sources simultaneously.
Torrent File
The torrent file is often referred to a a torrent. This is a script that starts the file sharing process. The owner of a file creates a torrent file containing the name of the file, its size and number of blocks. The file also contains the address of a torrent tracker. The tracker keeps a register of the available sources of a file. At the point of creation there is only one source. The originator of the file also needs to list the torrent file with a torrent directory site. This enables anyone in the world to find the file. The torrent file has a ".torrent" file extension.
Torrent Client
Once the file owner has uploaded the torrent file to a listing service, he then needs to open the torrent file in his torrent client. The torrent client is often called a "torrent," or a "torrent downloader," or a "torrent program." The client detects that the program is available in its entirely on the computer and then contacts the tracker to notify it of the availability and location of the file. Anyone discovering the file in the listing service downloads the torrent file and opens it in his torrent client. The client contacts the tracker to find the location of the file, connects to the source and starts downloading the file.
Torrent
The true meaning of the term "torrent" is the downloadable file itself. If a file is available in the BitTorrent system, it is a torrent. Each copy of the file in the process of being transferred is called a "seed." The owners of copies of the file are called "seeders." When the first block of a torrent has been downloaded onto another computer, that client contacts the tracker to register as a "peer" for that torrent. A "peer" is the holder of a partial copy of a torrent. The completed blocks on the peer's computer can then be accessed by others.
Philosophy
The principle behind BitTorrent is that anyone anywhere in the world can be both the client and server of files and make them available to copy. The more copies there are in the system, the easier a torrent is to download.
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