rTorrent For Linux

rTorrent is an open source and free BitTorrent client application that runs entirely in the Linux console or in any X11 terminal emulator software. It is based on the libTorrent library created by the same developers and uses the Ncurses project for the CLI user interface.

Key features include the ability to use URLs or file paths to add torrent files at runtime, Emacs-style find-file support for opening torrent files, stop, resume and delete of torrents, support for fast resume, automatic loading, saving and deletion of torrent files in a session directory, detailed peer and torrent information.

In order to use it, the user must add the entire URL of the torrent file or the local path where a previously downloaded torrent file is stored. As expected, the application can be utilized only with the keyboard. Details about its keyboard shortcuts can be found in the dedicated manpage or the project's homepage.

The project is mostly written in the C++ and C programming languages, and uses the libTorrent and Ncurses libraries. Officially supported GNU/Linux operating systems include Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, Ubuntu, openSUSE, Arch Linux, CRUX, and Lunar Linux.

It is available for download as a universal source archive, allowing users to configure, compile and install the program in any Linux distribution. However, the best way to install it on your Linux OS is to use the packages from the default software repositories. Various BSD flavors are also supported, such as FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD, as well as Mac OS X.

Summing up, rTorrent is a BitTorrent client for those who prefer to use a minimal window manager on their GNU/Linux operating systems and don't care too much for complex graphical applications, such as Transmission or Deluge.