Deluge
A torrent daemon with a thin client attached, which is the right way round for a lab.
What it does
Deluge separates the parts: deluged does the transferring, and the GTK app, the web UI and deluge-console are three interfaces onto the same daemon. Start it on a server, connect from a laptop, close the laptop — the transfers never noticed.
Almost everything beyond the basics is a plugin: label-based organisation, scheduling, execute-on-complete, AutoAdd watch folders, and a large third-party set for cross-seeding and tracker handling.
Notes
- Thin client mode is the point. Enable the daemon’s remote connections and add a user in
auth, then connect from anywhere — over Tailscale rather than a forwarded port. - The Mac app is GTK rather than native, and looks it.
- Releases are infrequent. It is stable rather than abandoned, but do not expect a fast-moving project.
- BitTorrent is a distribution protocol, not a licence. Use it for Linux images, Creative Commons material and other content you have the right to share.
Alternative to
| Alternative | Type | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| qBittorrent | Open source | A better web UI and search, one process rather than two |
| Transmission | Open source | Native app, simpler daemon, fewer knobs |
| rTorrent with ruTorrent | Open source | The traditional seedbox pairing, configured in a file |
| µTorrent or BitTorrent Classic | Free | The clients this category left behind — ad-supported, and unmaintained on macOS |
Install
brew install --cask deluge