py3createtorrent

What it is and what it does

py3createtorrent is a command-line tool for generating torrent files from local files or directories. It wraps the bencode.py library to handle the low-level torrent format encoding and exposes a shell interface for common torrent creation tasks. The tool supports multiple trackers (or trackerless operation), automatic selection of reliable trackers from an external list, webseeds, private torrent flags, file/folder exclusion via patterns, custom piece sizes, and custom creation dates. It uses multithreading to speed up file hashing during torrent creation.

The package is stable and has been in production use since 2020, supporting Python 3.5 through 3.12. However, maintenance is dormant—the last release was June 2024 and no commits have been made since August 2024. There are no known security vulnerabilities. It is suitable for users who need to create torrents programmatically or via shell scripts, though the lack of recent activity means bug fixes or feature updates are unlikely without community contribution.

Use it for:

• Batch-create torrents for a media library or backup archive with automatic tracker selection.
• Generate private torrents for internal file distribution within an organization.
• Build torrent files as part of a shell script or CI/CD pipeline for software releases.
• Create trackerless torrents for peer-to-peer distribution without relying on external tracker infrastructure.
• Exclude sensitive files or build artifacts from torrents using regex patterns during creation.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Command-line utility to create torrent files from files or folders, with support for multiple trackers, webseeds, private torrents, and file exclusion patterns.

Yes, if you need a straightforward command-line torrent creator. Install friction is low, the package is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, and it covers the core torrent-creation use cases well. The copyleft license is standard for this domain. The main caveat is dormant maintenance—if you encounter bugs or need new features, you will likely need to fork or patch it yourself. Suitable for one-off scripts or stable production workflows that do not require ongoing support.

Install

py3createtorrent on PyPI

pip install py3createtorrent

uv add py3createtorrent

poetry add py3createtorrent

Installing py3createtorrent

Before you install

Low install friction; pure Python wheel with a single runtime dependency (bencode.py). Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2024-06-08 and no commits since 2024-08-23—but the package is marked Production/Stable and has been in use since 2020.

License in practice

Licensed under LGPLv3+, a copyleft license. You may use and modify the package freely, but any derivative work must also be licensed under LGPLv3+ and source code must be made available.

Quickstart

pip install py3createtorrent
py3createtorrent -t best3 /path/to/file_or_folder

Requires Python 3.5 or later; Python 3.5–3.7 users must also install typing-extensions.

Verify before relying

• Whether the 'best3' tracker-fetching feature still works reliably given dormant maintenance status.
• Current stability of the ngosang/trackerslist source that the package relies on for automatic tracker selection.

Package facts

Evidence: py3createtorrent-1.2.1-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: torrents, commandline, shell, script

Tags

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