How Does a P2P File Sharing Program Work

P2P based software programs are popular means of sharing files over the Internet. These programs are mostly available for free, over the Internet.

How Do They Work?

One does not need to know how these programs work, to use them, but its ingenious designing makes it worth knowing. 'P2P' stands for 'peer-to-peer'. Such a program enables file transfers, among computers connected over a network like the Internet. Unlike a small computer network, a P2P sharing program handles simultaneous data transfer from multiple sources, routing it to multiple destinations. Every computer connected in this network may be sending and receiving data and therefore, every connected computer is a 'peer'. Here is a brief explanation of their working:

• When you start running a P2P program and choose to download a file, a request is sent over the P2P network for that file.
• To locate the file, the program sends a search query to all other computers on the Internet, all over the world, that are running the program.
• When the file is located on the hard drive of a distant computer, a connection is made and download begins. There may be multiple computers with the same file on their hard disk and you get the file divided in to small packets, from all of them.
• Similarly, once you start downloading, you too become a peer and the files on your computer can also be shared through this program.

These programs are really smartly designed. They locate the nearest computers to route the data to you, as fast as possible and at the same time route the downloaded data from your hard disk to other computers in need of the file. It is an automated, smart, data routing system!

Best Programs

Here is a list of three of the best and fastest P2P sharing programs on the internet, along with a short review of their features.

• Shareaza: Shareaza is one of the premier free P2P sharing programs available on the Internet, released with full source code under the GNU public license. It can connect you with multiple P2P network platforms like eDonkey, Bit torrent and even Gnutella. It has inbuilt and customizable content filters. It comes with many plug-ins like media players. Free of spyware and ads, this software has got a feature which enables it to detect fake corrupted files. You can control download and upload bandwidths and see the IP addresses of all connected peers.
• BitTorrent: BitTorrent is mostly used for movies and television video file download. I have personally used this client and did not find it wanting, in any way. It has an inbuilt search box, that operates through your default browser to search for torrents (which are text files with information about file trackers and file contents). Fully featured and efficient, BitTorrent is also an excellent choice.
• Ares: Ares is the name of an independent file sharing network. It has its own file sharing programs like 'Ares Galaxy' which are very efficient. They have an inbuilt chat facility among peers and are totally adware free.

P2P software has revolutionized file sharing over the Internet. It is because of programs like these, that the true power of Internet technology can be harnessed. A P2P program grants the power to share one's data on a global scale.