There are many different BitTorrent web sites, each providing information about files distributed via the BitTorrent protocol. They typically contain multiple torrent files and an index of those files. In a typical scenario, a user would enter such a site and browse or search for the content they desire, based on the torrent descriptions posted at the site by other users. If a torrent with the sought content is found, the user could download that torrent.

Such websites each have different features to facilitate the user's search.

Contents 1 Features 1.1 BitTorrent Tracker 1.2 Directory 1.3 Comments 1.4 Specialization 1.5 Multi-tracker index 1.6 BitTorrent Search Engines 1.7 Regular Indexer 1.8 Next Generation Indexer 2 Site comparison 3 Notes

[edit] Features

[edit] BitTorrent Tracker

BitTorrent sites may operate a BitTorrent Tracker. A tracker provides the site with greater control over user interaction with the content offered by the site. Operating a tracker should not be confused with hosting content.

[edit] Directory

A directory allows users to browse the content available on site based on various categories. For example, a directory may let users browse through cookbooks in books section. A directory is also a site like filesharingz.com where users can find websites. In bittorrent case, user can find trackers and bittorrent related site on these directories.

[edit] Comments

Some sites let users post comments about files. Comments allow user to gain additional information before deciding to download a file. This is especially useful when dealing with larger files which may take hours or even days to download.

[edit] Specialization

BitTorrent sites may either focus on certain content - for example, etree.org focuses on Live Concerts or may have no particular focus, like Mininova.

[edit] Multi-tracker index

Some sites seek to index and provide a combined listing of torrents found on multiple other torrent index sites.

[edit] BitTorrent Search Engines

Some sites, such as NowTorrents search through multiple sites and shows results from a few different sites. It's a new way to get your content quicker because you find the best content in the best websites.

[edit] Regular Indexer

These are sites like BTJunkie who index content from a few different sites. It's pretty easy to find your content there then because you search through a few different sites, even if it hide it, not like bitTorrent Search Engine where you're redirected to the real site.

[edit] Next Generation Indexer

Sites called "Next Generation Indexer" are a bit like Regular ones but they are very special. The only one online at the moment is TorrentFactory.org but a few others will probably also index in this new way in a few weeks. The new way those sites index content is that they crawl the ENTIRE internet... and then sort content and split internet content from torrents. So you directly download a torrent that is somewhere in the Internet, maybe in another regular indexer or in a private site... it doesn't matter, it's like a Google but dedicated for torrent files and they need huge ressources because they directly index all the sites to search for .torrents.

[edit] Site comparison

The following table compares the features of various BitTorrent sites (This is by no means all). Alexa ranking is accurate as of 05 September 2009.

Site	Specialization	Is a tracker	Directory	Public	RSS	One click download	Sortable	Comments	Multi-tracker index	Alexa Traffic Rank
AnimeSuki	Anime & otaku subculture[1]	No	Yes[2]	Yes	Yes	No	Only new torrents	No	No	006675 6,675 [3]
Anirena	Anime & otaku subculture	Yes[4]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	033068 33,068 [5]
BiteNova	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	168445 168,445 [6]
Bitgle.com	Google[7]	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	+100000 +100,000 [8]
BitTorrent	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	005216 5,216 [9]
BTJunkie	No	Yes[10]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	000501 501 [11]
BTMon	No	No	Yes[12]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	001575 1,575 [13]
BushTorrents	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	058143 58,143 [14]
Demonoid	No	Yes	Yes	semi	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	000588 588 [15]
Etree	Live Concerts	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	040226 40,226 [16]
Fenopy	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	002568 2,568 [17]
FlixFlux	Film[18]	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	149058 149,058 [19]
fulldls	No	No	Yes[20]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	004369 4,369 [21]
iBiblio	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	008214 8,214 [22]
isoHunt	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes[23]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	000224 224 [24]
JPopsuki	J-pop	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	027403 27,403 [25]
LegalTorrents	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	151863 151,863 [26]
LegitTorrents	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	571666 571,666 [27]
LinuxTracker	Linux software	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	174433 174,433 [28]
Mininova	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes[29]	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	000096 96 [30]
MyBittorrent	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	022247 22,247 [31]
NewTorrents	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	009216 9,216 [32]
RARBG	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	001547 1,547 [33]
ScaryWater	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	022907 22,907 [34]
ScrapeTorrent	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	017769 17,769 [35]
The Pirate Bay	No	No[36]	Yes[37]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not the top 100	Yes	No	000110 110 [38]
TorrentBox	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	010205 10,205 [39]
Torrent-Finder	Other sites	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	004612 4,612 [40]
TorrentLeech	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	?	004341 4,341 [41]
TorrentPortal	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	002347 2,347 [42]
TorrentReactor	No	Yes	Yes[43]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	000377 377 [44]
Torrentz	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	000213 213 [45]
BitScrap	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	000000 +100,000 [46]
Tokyo Toshokan	Japan culture & anime	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	000000 3,994 [47]
BitToxic.com	No	Yes	Yes [48]	semi	Yes [49]	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	000000 +100,000 [50]
TorrentZap.com	No	Yes	Yes [51]	semi	Yes [52]	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	000000 4832 [53]
TorrentFactory.org	No	Yes	Yes [54]	semi	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	000000 +100,000 [55]
Site	Specialization	Is a tracker	Directory	Public	RSS	One click download	Sortable	Comments	Multi-tracker index	Alexa Traffic Rank

[edit] Notes