P2P File Sharing

P2P Sharing is the process of downloading a file while simultaneously uploading portions of the file to other users. The most simple way of explaining it is that you don't need to have a server or connection to a website to being downloading files. All you'd need in the connection to your friends computer, which would open a path directly from his/her machine to yours without a middleman.

The basic premise of P2P very simple. Let's say your friend has a 500mb file that he wishes to share with 10 people. He would start a torrent with himself uploading the file. The torrent client (BitTorrent is the most famous one, for example) would split the file into different parts and upload a different part to each persons machine. This is called Seeding. Then the other users, the ones who are trying to download the file, would simply download the different parts simultaneously from each other. This is called Leaching. Together, they form a comprehensive network that relies on one another to sustain itself. If one user falls through, the structure is broken unless original user is still seeding the file...then the torrent client would go and retrieve the lost portion. P2P Sharing isn't always the best form of getting a file from A to B: "If two peers try to swap a compressed copy of Meet the Fokkers – say, 700 megs – the recipient will receive at a speedy 1.5 megs a second, but the sender will be uploading at maybe one-tenth of that rate. Thus, one-to-one swapping online is inherently inefficient." (Thompson). This problem is largely non-existent in today's world as most ISPs do not throttle upload speeds when compared to download speeds. Generally speaking, you should be getting what you pay for and no less. For example, my family pays Verizon for 35mb/s download and 35 mb/s upload.

Most people use P2P to download and upload movies and music. Since there is no middleman, the sharing service is entirely up to the users who are doing the sharing. Those with a better internet connection get the most out of the service as they can download things the fasted. In return, they can also upload the files faster as well.