Torrent file
application/x-bittorrent
Magic Bytes
Offset: 0
64 38 3A 61 6E 6E 6F 75 6E 63 65
A Torrent file is a metadata container defined by the BitTorrent protocol, maintained by BitTorrent, Inc., and originally developed for peer-to-peer distribution. These files store tracker URLs and cryptographic hashes of data segments to coordinate decentralized transfers across compatible clients. While the format itself is inherently safe, it has been largely superseded by magnet links in modern environments to reduce dependency on centralized tracker infrastructure and improve network resilience.
Validation Code
How to validate .torrent files in Python
Python
def is_torrent(file_path: str) -> bool:
"""Check if file is a valid TORRENT by magic bytes."""
signature = bytes([0x64, 0x38, 0x3A, 0x61, 0x6E, 0x6E, 0x6F, 0x75, 0x6E, 0x63, 0x65])
with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
return f.read(11) == signatureHow to validate .torrent files in Node.js
Node.js
function isTORRENT(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
const signature = Buffer.from([0x64, 0x38, 0x3A, 0x61, 0x6E, 0x6E, 0x6F, 0x75, 0x6E, 0x63, 0x65]);
return buffer.subarray(0, 11).equals(signature);
}
Go
func IsTORRENT(data []byte) bool {
signature := []byte{0x64, 0x38, 0x3A, 0x61, 0x6E, 0x6E, 0x6F, 0x75, 0x6E, 0x63, 0x65}
if len(data) < 11 {
return false
}
return bytes.Equal(data[:11], signature)
}API Endpoint
GET
/api/v1/torrent
curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/torrent