I know how torrenting works, and I guess I know what a seed box is for the most part. But where I’m foggy is exactly why people use them and what their benefit is over not using one. Every explanation I’ve looked up just doesn’t clear that up for some reason.
In: Technology
A seed box is a dedicated device for torrenting. These are typically VM’s on a managed server.
There are a few reasons to use a seedbox, but in general…
1. They hide your identity when torrenting. Normally, anyone else accessing the same torrent can get your IP, and that can lead to a chain of events with you being charged for distributing illegal goods.
2. They have dedicated connections with strong upload speeds. This means that you can download stuff quickly, as well as upload. This helps maintain your ratio (how much you upload for how much you download) which is needed for many private torrent sites.
3. You can download torrents immediately, and then download the files within them at your leisure. This is useful for setting up automated downloads. You download things immediately when they become available, and later grab the file when you want it.
Beyond that, there are some seedbox services where users actually keep the raw files on the seedbox and stream their content off of them as they please. You might setup a Plex server on the seedbox that you then stream the stuff you have downloaded off of and on your personal device. You never have to download a local copy of the file, so there’s nothing to manage at home aside from your streaming app.
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