webtorrent-desktop README

The project's README from github.com/webtorrent/webtorrent-desktop. As one markdown file: README.md.

WebTorrent Desktop

The streaming torrent app. For Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Install

Recommended Install

Download the latest version of WebTorrent Desktop from the official website:

✨ Download WebTorrent Desktop ✨

Advanced Install

Download specific installer files from the GitHub releases page.
Use Homebrew-Cask to install from the command line:
```
$ brew install --cask webtorrent
```
Try the (unstable) development version by cloning the Git repository. See the "How to Contribute" instructions.

Screenshots

screenshot

How to Contribute

Get the code

$ git clone https://github.com/webtorrent/webtorrent-desktop.git
$ cd webtorrent-desktop
$ npm install

Run the app

$ npm start

Watch the code

Restart the app automatically every time code changes. Useful during development.

$ npm run watch

Run linters

$ npm test

Run integration tests

$ npm run test-integration

The integration tests use Spectron and Tape. They click through the app, taking screenshots and comparing each one to a reference. Why screenshots?

Ad-hoc checking makes the tests a lot more work to write
Even diffing the whole HTML is not as thorough as screenshot diffing. For example, it wouldn't catch an bug where hitting ESC from a video doesn't correctly restore window size.
Chrome's own integration tests use screenshot diffing iirc
Small UI changes will break a few tests, but the fix is as easy as deleting the offending screenshots and running the tests, which will recreate them with the new look.
The resulting Github PR will then show, pixel by pixel, the exact UI changes that were made! See https://github.com/blog/817-behold-image-view-modes

For MacOS, you'll need a Retina screen for the integration tests to pass. Your screen should have the same resolution as a 2018 MacBook Pro 13".

For Windows, you'll need Windows 10 with a 1366x768 screen.

When running integration tests, keep the mouse on the edge of the screen and don't touch the mouse or keyboard while the tests are running.

Package the app

Builds app binaries for Mac, Linux, and Windows.

$ npm run package

To build for one platform:

$ npm run package -- [platform] [options]

Where [platform] is darwin, linux, win32, or all (default).

The following optional arguments are available:

--sign - Sign the application (Mac, Windows)
--package=[type] - Package single output type.
- deb - Debian package
- rpm - RedHat package
- zip - Linux zip file
- dmg - Mac disk image
- exe - Windows installer
- portable - Windows portable app
- all - All platforms (default)

Note: Even with the --package option, the auto-update files (.nupkg for Windows, -darwin.zip for Mac) will always be produced.

Windows build notes

The Windows app can be packaged from any platform.

Note: Windows code signing only works from Windows, for now.

Note: To package the Windows app from non-Windows platforms, Wine and Mono need to be installed. For example on Mac, first install XQuartz, then run:

$ brew install wine mono

(Requires the Homebrew package manager.)

Mac build notes

The Mac app can only be packaged from macOS.

Linux build notes

The Linux app can be packaged from any platform.

If packaging from Mac, install system dependencies with Homebrew by running:

npm run install-system-deps

Recommended readings to start working in the app

Electron (Framework to make native apps for Windows, OSX and Linux in Javascript): https://electronjs.org/docs/tutorial/quick-start

React.js (Framework to work with Frontend UI): https://reactjs.org/docs/getting-started.html

Material UI (React components that implement Google's Material Design.): https://material-ui.com/getting-started/installation

Privacy

WebTorrent Desktop collects some basic usage stats to help us make the app better. For example, we track how well the play button works. How often does it succeed? Time out? Show a missing codec error?

The app never sends any personally identifying information, nor does it track which torrents you add.

License

MIT. Copyright (c) WebTorrent, LLC.

Searching Database…

10.1K ·GitHub

Webtorrent-desktop

What is this?

WebTorrent Desktop is a free, open-source streaming torrent client for Mac, Windows and Linux — it starts playing video while the download is still in progress.

Is this a desktop app or something that runs in the browser?

It is a native desktop app, not a browser app — built on Electron with a React and Material UI frontend, shipped as per-platform installers.

Do I need Node.js or anything else installed first?

Regular users need nothing but the installer. Only contributors building from source need Node.js ^16 or ^18 with npm 7-10.

Will it spy on what I download?

It collects basic anonymous usage stats (for example, how often pressing play succeeds versus times out), but it never sends personally identifying information and never tracks which torrents you add.

Is it free to use?

Yes — the app is completely free and MIT-licensed, with copyright held by WebTorrent, LLC.

Can I cast the video to a TV or another device?

Yes — the app bundles support for streaming to Chromecast, DLNA and AirPlay receivers (the chromecasts, dlnacasts and airplayer modules are part of its dependencies).

What installer formats can I pick from?

Mac gets a .dmg, Windows an .exe installer or a portable build, and Linux .deb, .rpm or .zip packages. The packaging script also always produces the auto-update files (.nupkg for Windows, -darwin.zip for Mac).

What are similar projects?

webtorrent, ivideo, deskreen, qBittorrent, trystero, WebRTC-Experiment, awesome-zhuiju-free, streambert

Which topics is it in?

webtorrent, material-ui, bittorrent, media-player, file-sharing, video-player, video-streaming, webrtc, p2p, downloader, electron, streaming

Creator: webtorrent
Size: 173.1 MB
Stars: 10.1K
Updated: CommitJul 09 Releasev0.24.0Aug 29
Age: 11y
Commits · 90 Days