Nate Drake introduces you to one of the internet’s best kept secrets to turbo charge your downloads and uploads

Seedboxes are servers, specially configured for high speed downloads and uploads.

Any experienced internet user knows that BitTorrent is a protocol for peer-topeer file sharing. BitTorrent trackers can provide a list of files available for transfer, and allow the client to find peer users, known as ‘seeds’, who may transfer the files using a specialized BitTorrent client. Given how efficient it is for sharing large files, it’s hardly surprising that BitTorrent accounts for around three percent of all internet traffic worldwide.

Technically, you can access files via BitTorrent using your home computer, but it can cause complications, as connected peers can see your device’s IP address, you can be targeted by bad actors like hackers.

As BitTorrent is sometimes used to share copyrighted files, some networks and ISPs also block or ‘throttle’ the protocol, making downloading directly to your machine more difficult.

This is where seedboxes come in. A seedbox quite simply is a remote server, specifically designed for downloading/ uploading files via BitTorrent at high speeds—usually 100Mbps (8MB/s) to 10Gbps (1250MB/s).

Once the files are in the seedbox, users can then download them to their own devices using other common protocols like HTTP, FTP, SFTP, or rsync.

Not only does this bypass the worry of sharing your IP address with strangers, it makes for much more efficient management of your files.

Why do you need a seedbox?

It’s true that you can mask your IP to some extent by using a VPN, though not all allow BitTorrent traffic. This also won’t help if your ISP places caps on how much data you can download. Some popular seedbox providers let you install OpenVPN server, allowing you to connect securely without paying for a separate subscription.

Make sure you read through and compare seedbox plans. If available, find a low-cost trial plan before paying for a seedbox with huge amounts of bandwidth and storage.

© GETTY IMAGES/ BILL HINTON PHOTOGRAPHY, GIGA-RAPID

If you normally use an iOS device, you’ll also have noticed that the App Store isn’t exactly loaded with BitTorrent applications, but setting up a seedbox allows you to manage downloads via the web interface in your mobile browser.

Of course, you can accomplish much the same thing by renting your own VPS (Virtual Private Server) and installing software manually, but seedbox providers take much of the hassle away from you.

Aside from being specifically designed for fast file sharing, all seedboxes come with a number of preinstalled applications. Naturally, chief among these are popular BitTorrent clients like ruTorrent, Deluge, qbittorent, and Transmission.

Setting up and configuring these apps via the seedbox web interface works virtually identically to desktop clients, with the crucial caveat that they can be connected 24/7. This makes it much easier to maintain a good sharing ratio, which is necessary for some private trackers.

Before delving further into seedbox features, it’s worth addressing the elephant in the room: the BitTorrent protocol and seedboxes can be used to share and download pirated content. Still, they have lawful uses. The Internet Archive (archive.org), for instance, makes public domain files available via BitTorrent. IPT, which is one of the oldest private trackers, holds many copyrightfree movies and music, as well as public domain learning materials. Many seedbox providers also block public trackers, like from the Pirate Bay, to reduce the chance of receiving DMCA takedown notices.

Seedboxes also offer an excellent way to share content you’ve created yourself via BitTorrent without having your home bandwidth consumed by eager downloaders. As your seedbox is online around the clock, you can be certain that at least one seed is always available.

Upon registration, your chosen seedbox will offer various ways to access files you download to it. Certain providers may offer a way to do this via HTTP, such as through a server app like ‘filebrowser’. You’ll also always be able to access the seedbox via FTP, as you would with any server, though for security reasons we recommend choosing a service that supports SFTP via a reliable client like FileZilla.

Naturally, copyright laws vary by jurisdiction, so laws may operate differently where you live to the state where your chosen seedbox is based. We suggest taking legal advice before sharing or downloading any files.

Having decided that a seedbox is right for you, we encourage you to research providers yourself to find one that fits your requirements. Popular seedbox services include Whatbox (https://whatbox.ca/). Seed Host (https://www.seedhost.eu/), and Giga Rapid (https://giga-rapid.com/), which we’ve used for the screenshots in this guide.