Show HN: Webtor – open-source torrent streaming engine
webtor.ioHi HN,
I built Webtor — an open-source engine that lets you stream .torrent and magnet links directly in the browser.
- No swarm exposure — all torrent traffic runs server-side
- In-browser playback via HLS
- Progressive download with resume support
- Lightweight JS SDK and public API
- Fully self-hostable via Docker
Demo: https://webtor.io
GitHub: https://github.com/webtor-io
SDK: https://github.com/webtor-io/embed-sdk-js
Self-hosted: https://github.com/webtor-io/self-hosted
API: https://rapidapi.com/paveltatarsky-Dx4aX7s_XBt/api/webtor
Would love feedback!
Looks like an open source version of put.io? Very cool! You might list hosters and jurisdictions where it’s friendly to host the remote torrent component and they’ll ignore IP claims and other copyright holder love letters.
It looks like if I use your hosted service to stream then you become the distributor of any copyright material in that torrent. Is that correct, and if so aren't you likely to be taken down or blocked in jurisdictions where that is enforced?
That’s a valid concern, and I’m aware of the risks involved.
Webtor is a tool, not a content provider — it doesn’t index or host anything itself. Users supply their own torrent or magnet links, and the system processes them on demand, like a torrent client with a browser interface.
That said, if someone uses the hosted version to stream content that triggers a copyright complaint — yes, I may receive a DMCA notice, and in that case I’ll take the content down as required.
This is also exactly why the project is fully open-source and self-hostable — anyone can run it privately, with full control and different legal boundaries depending on their jurisdiction.
> or host anything itself.
It does, or there would be nothing to download.
> and the system processes them on demand > Webtor is a tool, not a content provider
By assembling the chunks into content it then provides via a link to download.
Is the implication here that the data is transient (eg time-gated or single use links) or something?
We're in the age of AI and Automation. Just because you aren't publishing an index of your content doesn't mean there aren't plenty of others searching, indexing, scraping, and aggregating it, nor does it mean the content isn't provided to the internet/public.
The content is only partially downloaded to the servers, and only on demand. Storage is limited — old, inactive cached data is removed when space is needed for new requests.
There’s also the ability to revisit previously used content via direct links like https://webtor.io/{infohash} — this lets users bookmark a stream or return to it later. However, availability still depends on whether the content is cached or needs to be fetched again.
I actually experimented with making content indexable in the past, but many torrents turned out to be pirated — and eventually triggered DMCA notices. So I chose not to publicly expose anything on the hosted version.
Automation is possible: there’s a public API and a lightweight SDK for embedding content into external websites.
If this is a tool and doesn't host any content, what exactly will you be taking down upon receiving a DMCA?
Good question.
Even though Webtor doesn’t host or index any content itself, users can generate direct links like https://webtor.io/{infohash} to access specific torrents. Sometimes these links get shared publicly — on forums, blogs, or aggregators — and that’s usually how DMCA notices find their way to me.
When that happens, I remove access to that specific infohash from the hosted service. It’s not about removing stored files (since there’s no persistent storage), but about disabling further processing of that particular torrent.
> what exactly will you be taking down upon receiving a DMCA?
Content on the hosted instance...?
Popcorn time seems like the safer bet
True, Popcorn Time was slick — but if I remember correctly, it runs as a local app and immediately connects you to the swarm. That means your IP is exposed and you’re technically distributing content while watching it.
Webtor works differently — all torrent traffic goes through the backend, and your browser just receives the stream over HTTPS. No swarm connection from the user side at all.
So it’s not as feature-rich maybe, but it’s built with privacy and accessibility in mind — especially for people who can’t or don’t want to touch P2P directly.
Any documentation on how to self-host without Docker?
I use FreeBSD.
There are currently around 14 individual components involved — torrent engine, HLS pipeline, subtitles, storage, APIs, etc.
It’s technically possible to run everything manually without Docker, but you’d need to wire all services together, manage configs, ports, and background jobs.
That’s why I strongly recommend the Docker setup — it’s the easiest way to get things running.
You can absolutely take a look at the Dockerfile (https://github.com/webtor-io/self-hosted/blob/main/Dockerfil...). It should give you a clear idea of how things are connected, if you want to replicate it manually on FreeBSD.