File-sharing program
File-sharing programs are used to directly or indirectly transfer files from one computer to another over the Internet, over a smaller Intranet, or across simple networks usually following the peer-to-peer (P2P) model. Most of the programs are integrated in filesharing networks and obtain information about each other from central servers.
A variety of file-sharing programs is available on several different networks. Availability depends partly on operating system, and different networks have different features (for example, multiple-source downloads, different sorts of search limiting, and so on). It is common for commercial file sharing clients to contain abrasive advertising software, or spyware.
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Categories of clients:
- Centralized Clients: OpenNap
- Decentralized clients: Gnutella
- Benefits: Usually more reliable and rarely shut down
- Negatives: Generally slower than centralized systems
- Decentralized tracker-based clients: Bittorrent
- Benefits: Very fast due to concentration of bittorrent networks on a single file, is principally used to offer new, large files for download
- Negatives: Not centrally searchable, tracker sites are often closed down or fail, not truly anonymous
- Multi-network clients
- Benefits: allows connection to more than one network, almost always on the client side.
- Negatives: often playing catch-up to individual networks' changes and updates.
- Anonymous peer-to-peer: Freenet, GNUnet, MUTE, I2P
- Benefits: allows for the uncensored free flow of information and ideas
- Negatives: due to anonymity it allows for questionable or illegal material to be exchanged easier than other networks, often slower than regular p2p because of the overhead
- Private file-sharing networks
List of file sharing protocols
Operating system protocols
- Network file system (NFS)
- Samba or Server message block (SMB)
- AppleShare
- IPX
Operating servers
Applications
By network protocol
- EDonkey network protocol
Miscellaneous protocols
- Bit Torrent (decentralized dynamic network of users)
- MUTE
- I2P
User agents
Depot channels
Miscellaneous
- Servers
- Apache HTTP Server
- IIS Microsoft Internet Information Services
- Servers
- OpenNap protocol
- Audiogalaxy
- iMesh
- Direct Connect
- Clients (user agents)
- NeoModus Direct Connect
- DC++
- BCDC++
- CZDC++
- oDC
- Hubs (servers)
- Ptokax, YHub, NMDCH, etc..
- Clients (user agents)
- SoulSeek
- Mnet
- (open)ssh based systems:
- Revision control systems are specialized file sharing systems.
- General tools:
- Netcat, a networking pocketknife.
See also
File sharing comparison