A magnet link is in essence a link containing as short unique code to identify a specific torrent file called hash. With the magnet link torrent clients can download the torrent file and successively the file or files shared by the torrent without any additional step. Given the torrent hash – passed as a parameter within a Magnet link – clients immediately seek the addresses of peers and connect to them to download first the torrent file, and then the desired content.

• Download Torrent Movies
• Download Verified Torrent Magnet Link
• How To Download Magnet Files
• Open Torrent File
• Magnet Link Download Torrent File

Previously we have talked about how to access blocked torrent sites legally. In this article, we will discuss about how to get direct .torrent download links instead of magnet links. Magnet links have been around the web for some time. As Bittorent users might know, magnet links are alternative mirror links to actual torrent files. Recently, if you have followed the Pirate Bay closely, you might have noticed that the link to the original torrent files are misssing and have been replaced by magnet links.

The reason why The Pirate Bay has replaced its torrent file links is because of the legal issue mainly. Hosting a torrent directly from the server makes it vulnerable to lawsuits. This may be effective to the point of even the website being confiscated. Using magnet links on the other hand removes the legal threat as there is no direct link to the torrent file. Using magnet links also does not require trackers and the resource does not need to be stored in the server and operates through contents belonging to the peers.

The Magnet URI scheme defines the format of magnet links, a de facto standard for identifying files by their content, via cryptographic hash value rather than by their location.

Although magnet links can be used in a number of contexts, they are particularly useful in peer-to-peer file sharing networks because they allow resources to be referred to without the need for a continuously available host, and can be generated by anyone who already has the file, without the need for a central authority to issue them. This makes them popular for use as 'guaranteed' search terms within the file sharing community where anyone can distribute a magnet link to ensure that the resource retrieved by that link is the one intended, regardless of how it is retrieved.

• 2Design

History[edit]

The standard for Magnet URIs was developed by Bitzi in 2002, partly as a 'vendor- and project-neutral generalization' of the ed2k: and freenet: URI schemes used by eDonkey2000 and Freenet, respectively, and attempts to follow official IETFURI standards as closely as possible.

Design[edit]

Magnet URIs consist of a series of one or more parameters, the order of which is not significant, formatted in the same way as query strings that ordinarily terminate HTTP URLs. The most common parameter is 'xt' ('exact topic'), which is generally a URN formed from the content hash of a particular file, e.g.:

This refers to the hex-encoded SHA-1hash of the torrent file info section in question. Note that, although a particular file is indicated, an availability search for it must still be carried out by the client application.

Other parameters defined by the draft standard are:

• 'dn' ('display name'): a filename to display to the user, for convenience
• 'kt' ('keyword topic'): a more general search, specifying search terms, rather than a particular file
• 'mt' ('manifest topic'): a URI pointing to a 'manifest', e.g. a list of further items
• application-specific experimental parameters, which must begin 'x.'

The standard also allows for multiple parameters of the same type to be used by appending '.1', '.2', etc. to the parameter name, e.g.:magnet:?xt.1=urn:sha1:YNCKHTQCWBTRNJIV4WNAE52SJUQCZO5C&xt.2=urn:sha1:TXGCZQTH26NL6OUQAJJPFALHG2LTGBC7

Magnet URIs can contain multiple parameters, in any order, separated from each other by &. The format therefore looks like:

magnet:? xl = [Size in Bytes] & dn = [file name (URL encoded)] & xt = urn: tree: tiger: [ TTHhash (Base32) ]

The following parameters are supported:

• dn (Display Name): filename
• xl (eXact Length): size in bytes
• xt (eXact Topic): URN containing file hash
• as (Acceptable Source): Web link to the file online
• xs (eXact Source): P2P link identified by a content-hash
• kt (Keyword Topic): key words for search
• mt (Manifest Topic): link to the metafile that contains a list of magneto (MAGMA – MAGnet MAnifest)
• tr (address TRacker): tracker URL for BitTorrent downloads

URN, containing hash (xt)[edit]

'xt' ('exact topic'): the most important part of a Magnet link and is used to find and verify the specified files.

Tiger Tree Hash (TTH)

These hashes are used on Direct Connect and G2 (Gnutella2), among others.

xt=urn:tree:tiger:[ TTHHash (Base32) ]

Secure Hash Algorithm 1 (SHA-1)

These hash sums are used on gnutella and G2 (Gnutella2).

xt=urn:sha1:[ SHA-1Hash (Base32) ]

BitPrint

Such hash sums consist of an SHA-1 Hash, followed by a TTH Hash, delimited by a point; they are used on gnutella and G2 (Gnutella2).

xt=urn:bitprint:[ SHA-1Hash (Base32) ].[ TTHHash (Base32) ]

ED2K (eDonkey2000) hash

These hash sums are used on eDonkey2000.

xt=urn:ed2k:[ ED2KHash (Hex) ]

Advanced Intelligent Corruption Handler (AICH)

Not formal URNs for Magnet links, such hash sums are used by eDonkey2000 to restore and control the integrity of downloading and already downloaded files.

xt=urn:aich:[ aichHash (Base32) ]

Kazaa hash

Used on FastTrack, these hash sums are vulnerable to hash collision attacks.

xt=urn:kzhash:[ KazaaHash (Hex) ]

BitTorrent info hash (BTIH)

These are hex-encoded SHA-1 hash sums of the 'info' sections of BitTorrent metafiles as used by BitTorrent to identify downloadable files or sets of files. For backwards compatibility with existing links, clients should also support the Base32 encoded version of the hash.^[1]

xt=urn:btih:[ BitTorrent Info Hash (Hex) ]

Some clients require Base32 of info_hash (e.g., Vuze).

Message Digest 5 (MD5)

Supported by G2 (Gnutella2), such hashes are vulnerable to hash collision attacks.

xt=urn:md5:[ MD5Hash (Hex) ]

Web links to the file[edit]

There are two types of download links that a Magnet link can include as a direct or backup source.

'as' ('acceptable source')

refers to a direct download from a web server. Regarded as only a fall-back source in case a client is unable to locate and/or download the linked-to file in its supported P2P network(s), most clients treat it equal to the 'xs' token when it comes to priority, and ignore the timeout before contacting 'as' sources denoted by the specs.

as=[ a web link to the file(URL encoded) ]

'xs' ('exact source')

either an HTTP (or HTTPS, FTP, FTPS, etc.) download source for the file pointed to by the Magnet link, the address of a P2P source for the file or the address of a hub (in the case of DC++), by which a client tries to connect directly, asking for the file and/or its sources. This field is commonly used by P2P clients to store the source, and may include the file hash.

Content-Addressable Web URL

This type of RFC2168-based link is used by gnutella as well as G2 applications.^[2]

xs=http://192.0.2.27:6346/uri-res/N2R?urn:sha1:FINYVGHENTHSMNDSQQYDNLPONVBZTICF

Link to a DirectConnect hub to find sources for a file

This type of link connects a DirectConnect client immediately to the hub in question.

xs=dchub://[hub address]:[hub port]

Reference to a web-based source cache for a file on Gnutella2

In this case, the included link points, not to a client IP or direct source, but to a source cache which stores the IPs of other clients contacting it to download the same file. Once a client connects to the cache, it is served IPs for alternate sources, while its own IP is stored within the cache and forwarded to the next one connecting to the cache. This system operates similar to a BitTorrent tracker.

xs=http://cache.freebase.be/[ SHA-1hash ]

Reference to an eD2k source

xs=ed2kftp://[client address]:[client port]/[ed2k hash]/[file size]/

Manifest (mt)[edit]

This is a link to a list of links (see list). Perhaps as a web link...

mt=http://weblog.foo/all-my-favorites.rss

...or a URN

mt=urn:sha1:3I42H3S6NNFQ2MSVX7XZKYAYSCX5QBYJ

Keywords (kt)[edit]

This field specifies a string of search keywords to search for in P2P networks.

kt=kilroy+was+here+mp3

Address tracker (tr)[edit]

Tracker URL; used to obtain resources for BitTorrent downloads without a need for DHT support.^[1]

tr=http://example.com/announce

Supplement format (x.)[edit]

For experimental and self-complementing informal options, the prefix x followed by a chosen second letter can be used.

x.[name of the new parameter]=[data of the new parameter (URL encoded)]

Group settings[edit]

Multiple files and their URNs, names and hashes in the Magnet link can be included by adding a count number preceded by a dot ('.') to each link parameter.

magnet:?xt.1=[ URN of the first file]&xt.2=[ URN of the second file]

Clients[edit]

Download Torrent Movies

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

Download Verified Torrent Magnet Link

1. ^ ^abcdDchub://[hubaddress]:[hubport]
2. ^Since v2.5.1.0

References[edit]

How To Download Magnet Files

1. ^ ^abBEP-9: Extension for Peers to Send Metadata Files
2. ^Chapweske, Justin (November 29, 2001). 'HTTP Extensions for a Content-Addressable Web'. www-talk. W3C.
3. ^'magnet-test.c in trunk/libtransmission; Revision 9531'. Transmission.
4. ^'magnet.c in trunk/libtransmission; Revision 9979'. Transmission.

External links[edit]

Open Torrent File

• Magnet-URI Project on SourceForge.net
• CHK Freeware Checksum Utility with SHA1-Base32 and ED2K support
• RHash on SourceForge.net, an open source command-line tool, which can calculate Magnet links

Magnet Link Download Torrent File