What is DHT (and How it Helps Download Torrents)

So, you’re wondering what the heck DHT is for torrents. Or maybe you just want to know how to use it. Either way, we’re here to help.

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about DHT torrent downloads.

What is DHT – and How Does It Work

First things first, let’s talk about what DHT is.

It stands for distributed hash table, and you can think of it as an alternative to a torrent tracker, as in the server that helps connect peers so they can share info and data.

But unlike trackers, DHT is node-based and decentralized.

When you join the network through a process called bootstrapping, your torrent client becomes a new node with its own node ID.

Your node will then start communicating with other nodes based on their mathematical closeness, and from there build a hash table. These hash tables contain the torrent file’s hash, the IP addresses of its peers, and the port number for those peers.

Now, that all sounds pretty complicated. But again, all you really need to know is that it’s another way of finding peers and downloading a torrent, one that doesn’t require trackers.

How to Setup DHT with Your Torrent Client

So, let’s take a look at how to actually use DHT with your torrent client.

Enable DHT

For many clients, this will be enabled by default. But you should double check to make sure. In qBittorrent, you can find the DHT settings under Tools > Options > BitTorrent.

Then, check the top three boxes under Privacy to:

• Enable DHT
• Enable Peer Exchange
• Enable Local Peer Discovery

...if they’re not already.

Add Your Magnet or Hash

Now, to actually use DHT, you’ll need to either click the magnet link for the torrent you want to download, which will import the needed info to your torrent client. Or find the info hash and add it to your client manually.

Optimizing DHT Performance

Once DHT is enabled and you’ve started to download a torrent, you’ll be able to see information on your connection. In qBittorrent, this is shown at the bottom of the window.

The key thing to pay attention to is the Connection Status. Anything other than a green connection means DHT isn’t working to the best of its abilities. If that’s the case, try the steps below to improve it.

• Use a VPN to avoid throttling – Depending on your location or ISP, your Bittorrent traffic can be throttled, and that includes DHT. Fortunately, this can be avoided by using a good torrenting VPN, like PIA VPN, to encrypt your traffic.
• Adjust your firewall – If you’re using a firewall, it could be blocking your DHT traffic. Fortunately, fixing this is as simple as creating an exception for your torrent client in your firewall’s settings.
• Set up port forwarding – Another possible issue is your ports. A VPN can avoid this, or you can set up port forwarding in your torrent client by enabling UPnP in the settings.

DHT Torrent: Wrap-Up

Hopefully you now understand what DHT is, how it works, and how to use it to start downloading torrents. While it all sounds a bit complex at first glance, it’s actually quite easy to use – and you may have already been using it to download torrents, without even realizing it.

If you have any other questions about DHT for torrents, feel free to ask in the comments.