Server API

HTTP server for serving torrent contents

Overview

The WebTorrent server creates an HTTP server to serve the contents of torrents, dynamically fetching needed pieces to satisfy requests. Range requests are supported.

WebTorrent provides two server implementations:

• NodeServer for Node.js environments
• BrowserServer for browser environments (requires Service Worker)

Creating a Server

client.createServer([opts], [force])

Creates an HTTP server for serving torrent contents. See the WebTorrent API for more details on client methods.

Node.js Server

Configuration Options

origin · string · default: "*"

Allow requests from specific origin. Set to false for same-origin only.

hostname · string

If specified, only allow requests whose Host header matches this hostname.

path · string · default: "/webtorrent"

Base path for the server.

Usage Example

import WebTorrent from 'webtorrent'

const client = new WebTorrent()
const server = client.createServer({
  hostname: 'localhost',
  origin: 'http://localhost:3000'
})

// Start listening on a port
server.server.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server listening on port 3000')
})

client.add(magnetURI, torrent => {
  console.log('Torrent added')
  
  // Access files via HTTP
  const url = torrent.files[0].streamURL
  console.log('Stream URL:', url)
  // http://localhost:3000/webtorrent/<infoHash>/filename.mp4
})

// Later, cleanup
server.close()
client.destroy()

URL Structure

The server provides the following endpoints:

/ · GET

Root endpoint (no content displayed)

/webtorrent/ · GET

Lists all torrents with links to their detail pages

/webtorrent/:infoHash · GET

Lists all files in the torrent with links to stream/download them

/webtorrent/:infoHash/:filepath · GET

Streams or downloads the specific file

Methods

server.server.listen(port, [callback])

Start the server listening on the specified port.

server.server.listen(8080, () => {
  console.log('Server running on port 8080')
})

server.close([callback])

Close the server and stop accepting new requests.

server.close(err => {
  if (err) throw err
  console.log('Server closed')
})

server.destroy([callback])

Destroy the server and close all open connections.

server.destroy(err => {
  if (err) throw err
  console.log('Server destroyed')
})

server.address()

Get the server’s address information.

return · object

Object with address, family, and port properties

const addr = server.address()
console.log(`Server at ${addr.address}:${addr.port}`)

Browser Server

Configuration Options

controller · ServiceWorkerRegistration · required

Service worker registration

origin · string · default: "*"

Allow requests from specific origin. Set to false for same-origin only.

Usage Example

import WebTorrent from 'webtorrent'

const client = new WebTorrent()

// Register service worker
const controller = await navigator.serviceWorker.register('./sw.min.js', {
  scope: './'
})

// Wait for service worker to be ready
await navigator.serviceWorker.ready

// Create server
client.createServer({ controller })

client.add(magnetURI, torrent => {
  const video = document.querySelector('video')
  
  // Stream to video element
  const file = torrent.files[0]
  file.streamTo(video)
  
  // Or use the URL directly
  console.log('Stream URL:', file.streamURL)
  // /webtorrent/<infoHash>/filename.mp4
})

// Later, cleanup
client._server.close()
client.destroy()

Service Worker

You can use the official WebTorrent service worker or implement the required functionality yourself:

// sw.js - Service Worker implementation
self.addEventListener('fetch', event => {
  // Handle WebTorrent streaming requests
  // See lib/worker.js in WebTorrent source for reference
})

Methods

server.close([callback])

Close the server.

client._server.close(err => {
  if (err) throw err
  console.log('Browser server closed')
})

server.destroy([callback])

Destroy the server.

client._server.destroy(err => {
  if (err) throw err
  console.log('Browser server destroyed')
})

Response Headers

All file responses include the following headers:

Accept-Ranges · string

Indicates support for range requests

Content-Type · string

MIME type of the file

Content-Length · number

Size of the response body in bytes

Content-Range · string

Present for partial content responses (206)

Cache-Control · string

Disables caching (data is local)

Access-Control-Allow-Origin · string

CORS header (if origin is allowed)

CORS Support

By default, the server allows all origins (origin: '*'). You can restrict this:

// Allow specific origin
client.createServer({
  origin: 'https://example.com'
})

// Disable cross-origin requests
client.createServer({
  origin: false
})

Range Requests

The server supports HTTP range requests, enabling:

• Video/audio seeking
• Resumable downloads
• Partial content delivery

curl -H "Range: bytes=0-1023" \
  http://localhost:3000/webtorrent/<infoHash>/video.mp4

DLNA Support

The server includes DLNA streaming headers for compatibility with DLNA devices:

transferMode.dlna.org: Streaming
contentFeatures.dlna.org: DLNA.ORG_OP=01;...