pythonTorrentDHT
A Python implementation of the BitTorrent Distributed Hash Table, extending nitmir/btdht with additional BEP support.
Overview
pythonTorrentDHT provides a full Python implementation of the BitTorrent mainline DHT. It is a natural evolution of nitmir/btdht, modernised for Python 3.10+ (pure Python, no Cython) and extended with additional BitTorrent Enhancement Proposals:
| BEP | Description |
|---|---|
| BEP 5 | BitTorrent DHT Protocol — core routing table, get_peers, announce_peer |
| BEP 9 | Extension for Peers to Send Metadata Files — fetch .torrent info-dicts without a tracker |
| BEP 10 | Extension Protocol — peer capability negotiation (required by BEP 9) |
| BEP 51 | DHT Infohash Indexing — sample_infohashes for crawling the DHT |
Requirements
No C compiler required.
Installation
pip install pythontorrentdht
Or from source:
git clone https://github.com/Sprooty/pythonTorrentDHT
cd pythonTorrentDHT
pip install -e .
Usage
Find peers for a torrent
import btpydht
import binascii
dht = btpydht.DHT()
dht.start() # allow ~15s to bootstrap
peers = dht.get_peers(binascii.a2b_hex("0403fb4728bd788fbcb67e87d6feb241ef38c75a"))
print(peers)
# [('81.171.107.75', 17744), ('94.242.250.86', 3813), ...]
dht.stop()
Fetch torrent metadata (BEP 9/10)
Retrieve the info-dict directly from a peer without a .torrent file:
from btpydht.metadata import get_metadata
info_hash = binascii.a2b_hex("0403fb4728bd788fbcb67e87d6feb241ef38c75a")
peers = dht.get_peers(info_hash)
metadata = get_metadata(info_hash, peers[0])
print(metadata[b"name"])
Sample infohashes from the DHT (BEP 51)
Walk the DHT and collect infohashes being announced:
class CrawlerDHT(btpydht.DHT_BASE):
def on_sample_infohashes_response(self, response):
for ih in response.get(b"samples", []):
print(ih.hex())
dht = CrawlerDHT()
dht.start()
Announce a torrent
info_hash = binascii.a2b_hex("0403fb4728bd788fbcb67e87d6feb241ef38c75a")
dht.announce_peer(info_hash, port=6881)
Extend with custom message handlers
Subclass btpydht.DHT_BASE and override on_<msg>_query / on_<msg>_response:
class MyDHT(btpydht.DHT_BASE):
def on_get_peers_query(self, query):
print(f"Peer request for: {query[b'info_hash'].hex()}")
dht = MyDHT()
dht.register_message(b"get_peers")
dht.start()
Save and restore routing table state
dht.save("routing_table.dat")
# later...
dht.load("routing_table.dat")
Development
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
make test
Or run pytest directly:
python -m pytest tests/ -v
License
GPLv3 — see LICENSE for details.
Credits
Originally created by Valentin Samir.
Metadata
Release files for pythontorrentdht 1.0.3
For a detailed explanation of source distributions (sdists) and built distributions (wheels), please see the package formats documentation.
Source distribution (sdist)
| File | Size | Uploaded | |
|---|---|---|---|
| pythontorrentdht-1.0.3.tar.gz | 70.8 kB | Details |
Built distribution (wheel)
| File | Interpreter | ABI | Platform | Reset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pythontorrentdht-1.0.3-py3-none-any.whl | Python 3 | none | any | Details |
Total release size: 145.3 kB
Release files / pythontorrentdht-1.0.3.tar.gz
| Download URL | pythontorrentdht-1.0.3.tar.gz |
|---|---|
| Size | 70.8 kB |
| Tags | Source |
|
SHA-256 checksum How to use checksums |
6cbc4a3ce75a402cc40c14d539b18e90401cca039311cddd99f31480b3b33a05
|
|
BLAKE2b-256 checksum How to use checksums |
bbaaa92a3d3673624f6ce4befcdcf446cc995c007be3d2e950cd14a882c8829c
|
| Upload date | |
|
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? What is trusted publishing? |
Yes |
| Uploaded via |
twine/6.1.0 CPython/3.13.7
|
Provenance
Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.
PyPI Publish Attestation
PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.
Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Mar 16, 2026.
Transparency logRelease files / pythontorrentdht-1.0.3-py3-none-any.whl
| Download URL | pythontorrentdht-1.0.3-py3-none-any.whl |
|---|---|
| Size | 74.4 kB |
| Tags | Python 3 |
|
SHA-256 checksum How to use checksums |
b622f42e3c6ca0a33a55e449cb96031efd83f20e1f6e25bb6da69400bdcad57a
|
|
BLAKE2b-256 checksum How to use checksums |
c871f0f68e259b949ff8775117eebc06be8cdc453a3e62274770abb30dcac25c
|
| Upload date | |
|
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? What is trusted publishing? |
Yes |
| Uploaded via |
twine/6.1.0 CPython/3.13.7
|
Provenance
Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.
PyPI Publish Attestation
PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.
Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Mar 16, 2026.
Transparency log