There are times when you need to download a file from the Internet, such as a open source (opens in a new tab) file, for example, a linux distribution (opens in a new tab) . These files tend to be quite large, often several gigabytes, and a server hosting them would tend to become overloaded rather quickly. After all, multiple simultaneous downloads from a single server can easily overwhelm the resources of even a powerful server and fast Internet connection. It's also frustrating to get halfway through a download, to have it interrupted, the downloaded file not completing, and having to start the process all over again.
Instead of keeping the file for download on a single server, the approach has been to spread the load across many servers. This has been the basis of a peer-to-peer network that has the file on multiple servers and therefore uses a pervasive distribution network. Downloading a file via this method usually involves a ".torrent" link. This is not the easiest thing to deal with, as you need dedicated software to work with the file over the peer-to-peer network.
This is also necessary since the file to be downloaded is divided into several, in some cases thousands of smaller pieces that are easier to download. Keep in mind that the files are often not in a single central location, but rather on multiple computers. The torrent software then interacts with trackers that monitor which file is downloaded next, and also to reload other pieces that are complete after the download.
What is a magnet link?
A magnet link, also known as a magnet URI, is a method of making downloading a torrent file an easier activity. Prior to this, it was necessary to assign hashes to the files to be downloaded to prevent corrupted files from being swapped for the actual files to be downloaded.
With a magnet link, linking to the download is a simpler process. It doesn't require a special .torrent file, just a simple text hyperlink. With this hyperlink, the user can download the files and data from a peer-to-peer network, including a torrent network. An additional advantage is that it works in a serverless environment. Perhaps the most important advantage of a magnet link over a torrent file is that it avoids the need to locate the tracker file and also to locate the peers uploading it. One more advantage would be that it is not necessary to download the torrent file and then start the download of the file, since these are usually not damaged.
In general, the reason magnetic links were created was to reduce the overload of hosting files (opens in a new tab) to download. The advantage would be that there would be no additional work on the part of the torrent host.
What does the magnet link contain?
The actual magnet link is a hyperlink, and it has a few parts. It is designed to contain the magnetic identifier, the file name and the cryptographic content hash; this last part is important to understand how it works. This content hash comes from the actual file, is based on a mathematical algorithm, and serves as a unique identifier for the file across multiple hosts. Since this hyperlink contains so much data, they tend to be quite long. You can tell it's a magnet link, since it must start with the 'magnet:' prefix.
Another advantage of the magnetic link is the origin of it. Unlike a torrent, any user who has the file can generate the magnet link. There is no central authority involved in creating the magnet link, and this then pays dividends in file sharing searches as "guaranteed" search terms.
An added bonus is that the link doesn't actually contain the file data. Rather, it indicates where the data is hosted as the link, through the hash code, can locate where the data to be downloaded comes from.
How to use a magnet link?
So the next time you find a magnet link, what do you do? These magnet links are designed to work with your favorite torrent downloader, such as uTorrent. With this or any other free torrent program, the magnet link can be pasted and the download can take place.
While Torrent software has been the traditional method of accessing a magnet link to download the file, it is not the only possible method. Some users prefer the simplicity of downloading the magnet link through the browser. A Google limitation chrome browser (opens in a new tab) is that it does work directly with magnet links. Alternatively, the firefox browser (opens in a new tab) works best at this task and you can download the file from a magnet link directly like any other download via browser.
Some users prefer to download the file to a Google Drive (opens in a new tab) account through your Chrome browser. This method relies on an intermediary cloud download service, such as multicloud (opens in a new tab) or bit port. This type of service usually has a limited free tier and a more robust paid service tier. These services also allow you to host a file from your cloud account and are generally considered more secure since the files are in the cloud and not on your local computer.
conclusion
So next time you come across a magnet link, keep in mind that a lot of work has been done in recent years to improve peer-to-peer networking. With improved security, no need to track down trackers, and less computing overhead, it should come as no surprise that these magnet links have become and remain popular to this day. So, take the method of your choice, as detailed above, and download your file with the ease a magnet link was designed to provide.
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