What is a Seedbox?

FightClub

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So, what is a seedbox, here is some info trying to describe it.

A seedbox is a private server used for the uploading and downloading of digital files.

Seedboxes generally make use of the BitTorrent protocol for uploading and downloading, although they have also been used on the eDonkey2000 network. Seedboxes are usually connected to a high speed network, often with a throughput of 100 Mbit/s or even 1 Gbit/s. Some providers are testing and offering 10 Gbit/s shared servers, while others are developing other systems that will allow users to scale their needs on the fly. Files are downloaded from the torrent site and its users, and from there they can be downloaded at high speeds to a user's personal computer via the HTTP, FTP, SFTP, or rsync protocols. This allows for anonymity and, usually, removes the need to worry about ratio. Seedboxes can run on most major operating systems (Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X). More expensive seedboxes may provide VNC connection, or remote desktop protocol on some Windows-based seedboxes, allowing many popular clients to be run remotely. Other seedboxes are special purpose and run a variety of torrent specific software including web interfaces of popular clients like Transmission, rTorrent, Deluge, and μTorrent, as well as the TorrentFlux web interface clients. Mobile interface support is also offered by clients such as Transmission.

Seedboxes on high speed networks are typically able to download large files within minutes, provided that the swarm can actually handle such a high upload bandwidth. Seedboxes generally have download and upload speeds of 100 Mbit/s. This means that a 1 GB file can finish downloading in under two minutes. That same 1 GB file can be uploaded to other users in the same amount of time, creating a 1:1 upload:download ratio for that individual file. Seedboxes' ability to transfer files so quickly makes them very attractive to the P2P and BitTorrent communities. Because of the mentioned high speeds, seedboxes tend to be popular inside private torrent trackers, where maintaining an upload/download ratio above 1 can be very important.

Seedboxes are also used to circumvent "speed throttling" by Internet service providers or to evade laws such as the HADOPI law in France.

10 Reasons Why You Need a Seedbox

So, you’ve come to your senses and decided to give mininova the slip and get yourself a private BitTorrent account. Good! How about a really great private account? Even better. If you’ve managed to squeeze yourself into an über-elite private BT tracker (such as AR,HDB,HDT,PHD,BHD,PTP,BTN), the first thing you’re gonna notice is an almost complete lack of ability to upload. Why is that? Well, you have a handicap: You don’t have a seedbox. Unfortunately, it also means your days on that l33t tracker are likely numbered. Without a good sharing ratio, the account will get pruned. The solution? Set up a seedbox.

A seedbox is BitTorrent jargon for a dedicated high-speed server used explicitly for torrent transfers; more specifically - for uploading (seeding) at high rates. With a seedbox you’ll be able to manage your torrents through a browser from anywhere, anytime. Here’s 10 reasons for the advantages of using a seedbox over conventional home-based BitTorrent transfers:

1. Speed.

Most seedbox accounts are set up on 100Mbit lines, or faster - this is fast; really fast! Unquestionably faster than your home Internet access. That is, unless you live in Japan or Sweden. Even with an el-cheapo VPN seedbox account, burst speeds can easily surpass 30MBit a second - that’s a whopping 3,750 KB/s! To put it in perspective, that’s like being able to download an average-sized MP3 in just one second.

2. Downloading.

Sit back, relax and watch in amazement at how fast the torrents finish downloading. 700MB DVDRiPs come through in as little as 3 minutes; full DVD-Rs in just 15. What can beat that? Well, for starters, the upload speed is the same rate…

3. Uploading.

Serious torrenters are less concerned about the downloading, and more about the seeding. Good ratios are crucial to a healthy membership - without them, the account will wither away and die. With a seedbox, your ratio will be 1:1 on the torrent within minutes, not days. 10:1 ratios are not uncommon within the first hour for popular torrents. No more do you have to seed the torrent for weeks just to stay in the good graces of your private tracker. You’ll be free to delete & pause torrents, and replace them with fresher ones. Unlike home Internet accounts that typically have much slower upload rates than down, seedboxes don’t suffer from upload limitations and can max out’ the transfer rate in both directions equally. Uploading is the real reason users set up a seedbox.
 
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FightClub

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4. Competition.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, private tracker members are competitive, and a seedbox gives members a powerful edge. Without one, it doesn’t matter how many torrents you have seeding, or how you’ve managed to tweak the BitTorrent client’s settings, there’s just no competing with the uploading power of a seedbox. Truth be told - as it is nowadays with many elite private trackers - a seedbox is not just recommended; it’s mandatory for account longevity. More and more people are using them all the time, and this puts a stranglehold on non-seedbox members. Get a seedbox, or get left behind.

5. Your home Internet is untouched.

This frees up your home connection for…well, more torrents, online gaming, youtube, whatever! You’ll be able to safely turn off your computer at night without worrying about seeding. Your seedbox will still be happily uploading 24/7.

6. Does your ISP limit the monthly throughput on your account?

Get over it with a seedbox! Your seedbox traffic is not counted towards your ISP account stats, so it’s great for anyone who suffers from ISP capping’. The only time it becomes your’ traffic is when you choose to download the files from a finished torrent to your home PC, and uploading torrent traffic will never eat into your cap.

7. Good ratios breed great perks.

Watch your upload stats soar, and fast! You’ll become a power user or VIP on the tracker in no time at all.

8. Got a bad ISP that shaped your P2P traffic?

Big deal. It won’t matter with a seedbox. Your ISP is none-the-wiser to your seedbox, and the traffic is not affected. You’ll be able to quickly download your finished seedbox files to your home computer via HTTP or FTP, without the ISP throttling’ headaches.

9. Greater file selection.

Once you’ve established a respectable ratio, feel free to download the files that YOU want to download. No longer do you have to jump on the most recent torrents to get into a big swarm, or download popular torrents that you don’t even want. Seedboxes are high-priority in the uploading queue, regardless of what you choose to seed.

10. They’re Safe & Secure.

With a seedbox, you don’t even need to use a BitTorrent client on your home computer - your worries about the RIAA or MPAA are over. No more DMCA notices or warning letters from your ISP - and more importantly, no lawsuit letters will be coming, either. College/University students, take note.

So, go out and get yourself a seedbox. They’re fun, hip and great to brag about to your buddy whose never heard of them. And don’t forget to pick up two or three spindles of blank DVDRs.


Seedbox Tips:

Start out small. Seedboxes aren’t cheap, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. Many services now offer a torrent-specific’ seedbox package that are great for entry-level users, and include the TorrentFlux interface for easy setup and torrent management.


1. Budget.

First of all you should know what your budget is. How much are you willing to spend or can you spend on a monthly or weekly basis for this hobby or privacy/security of yours? Write that down.

2. How much space do you need?

This is where you will store your files from the torrents you will be downloading. I would personally suggest you not to go for something small (based on my needs at least). If the speed doesn’t matter that much to you, go for an HDD, but if you want to rule that section and you are going for a 500MBps+ speed go for an SSD; it will upload way faster.

3. How fast can you upload and is there a limit?

I would personally suggest you to go for better upload speed and unlimited or as high as possible (if that is possible) than download since I guess you will be mainly using this to boost your ratio, and also to give back at the community like I previously said and not hit and run (hit&run is when you download a torrent fast and you don’t upload a thing or almost nothing, that is number 1 reason to get banned from a private tracker). Of course you will be using the seedbox for your privacy and safety, duhh… I didn’t forget that I am just giving you a few more reasons, so choose this wisely.

4. Customer/Support wise

So what kind of customer support does it offer and is it good/fast? Better support usually means faster/quicker problem solver (if you get any that is, I hardly get any, I mainly mess things up myself and get support to fix my mess lol..) which can be crucial in some cases. Test them out with a pre-sales question/s (if you wish) and look at reviews, if you can find out any.

5. Seedbox location

Where is your seedbox located? Does this even matter? Well it is not that important in my opinion (I am based in EU though so that’s basically why, most seedboxes are in EU so they connect fast to each other and I can grab my files fast from them). But if you want to be serious about this, check out where your private tracker is located (or at least the majority of the users) and how fast you ping to your server. Closer location = lower ping = faster speeds. You don’t want to grab a seedbox from USA for example, for a tracker in Asia, when you are located in EU (what a mess!) since none will enjoy this seedbox. By the way I would suggest you to go for a non USA seedbox anyway since with all that chaos going on over there nowadays it doesn’t seem safe. If you are an American though you can try a NL,FR Seedbox and if that doesn’t work out go for a USA based one. Ask for a test file to check out how well your home connection can connect to the seedbox and what kind of speeds to expect.

If this has peaked your curiosity, head over to our ircDiscord Channel you can find it by going here

 
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