mktorrent

creates BitTorrent metainfo files

TLDR

Create torrent from file

$ mktorrent -a [http://tracker.example.com/announce] [file]

Create torrent from directory

$ mktorrent -a [http://tracker.example.com/announce] [directory/]

Create with multiple trackers

$ mktorrent -a [tracker1] -a [tracker2] [file]

Create private torrent

$ mktorrent -p -a [http://tracker.example.com/announce] [file]

Specify piece length

$ mktorrent -l [20] [file]

Add web seed

$ mktorrent -w [http://example.com/file] -a [tracker] [file]

Create with comment

$ mktorrent -c "[My torrent]" -a [tracker] [file]

Specify output filename

$ mktorrent -o [output.torrent] -a [tracker] [file]

Verbose output

$ mktorrent -v -a [tracker] [file]

SYNOPSIS

mktorrent [-a tracker] [-p] [-l piecelength] [-o output.torrent] [options] path_

mktorrent creates BitTorrent metainfo (.torrent) files. It hashes the content and packages file information with tracker details.The tool calculates piece hashes for file verification. Piece length affects swarm efficiency - larger pieces reduce overhead but delay initial sharing. Auto-selection usually works well.Multiple trackers provide redundancy. When one tracker is down, clients try others. Private torrents disable DHT and peer exchange, requiring tracker-only operation.Web seeds provide HTTP fallback when peers are unavailable. They're useful for initial seeding or low-popularity torrents.The source tag helps private trackers identify torrents from their site. It's embedded in the info dictionary, becoming part of the info hash.Creation is fast for small files but may take time for large datasets due to hashing requirements.

PARAMETERS

-a URL

Tracker announce URL.

-o FILE

Output torrent file.

-p

Private torrent (no DHT/PEX).

-l N

Piece length as power of 2 (default 18, i.e. 256KB).

-c TEXT

Comment.

-n NAME

Name in torrent (default: path basename).

-w URL

Web seed URL.

-s TEXT

Source tag for private trackers.

-v

Verbose output.

-t THREADS

Number of threads for hashing.

-d

Don't write creation date.

-h

Show help screen.

INSTALL

sudo apt install mktorrent

sudo dnf install mktorrent

sudo pacman -S mktorrent

sudo apk add mktorrent

sudo zypper install mktorrent

brew install mktorrent

nix profile install nixpkgs#mktorrent

CAVEATS

Changing any content after creation invalidates the torrent. Private tracker torrents not interoperable with public. Large piece sizes delay initial piece completion.

HISTORY

mktorrent was written as a lightweight, fast torrent creator. It provides command-line access to torrent creation without requiring a full BitTorrent client.