July 13, 2009 by sharky
Shopping for a seedbox provider? These six service/server specs [number of users per server; storage/drivespace; shared resources/RAM; # of active torrents; throughput limit; connection speed] are significant criteria to consider before making a selection. However, few realize that the UI (BT interface & client) of the seedbox is equally as important and should be also be factored into the equation. For example; when compared to TorrentFlux, uTorrent ordinarily offers the best speeds overall, but is lacking in features. Then there’s wTorrent GUI for rTorrent which uses very little resources, but doesn’t refresh the torrent stats. Here we delve into the three most popular seedbox UIs (TorrentFlux-b4rt, uTorrent WebUI and wTorrent) and take a look at the advantages & disadvantages for each.
uTorrent WebUI
Advantages
Speeds & Usability:
- • Just plain faster: Of all the seedbox UIs, uTorrent generally offers the fastest data transfer rates.
- • Connects to other peers in torrents better than any other BitTorrent client.
- • When compared to TFlux and rTorrent (wTorrent), uTorrent tends to seed (upload) faster, and for longer periods.
- • Just log in to your seedbox and start adding torrents. It’s that simple!
- • Easy to use interface; low learning curve.
- • uTorrent is an approved (whitelisted) BitTorrent client on all trackers (both public & private).
Others…
- • Uses much less memory/RAM when compared to TorrentFlux.
- • Rock-solid in a browser: It almost never timeouts or crashes unexpectedly.
- • Better value: For the same price, seedbox providers will typically allow for more storage and/or running torrents when compared to similar-spec TFlux boxes.
- • Since many uTorrent users employ the WebUI addon from a home PC, it’s not immediately obvious that your running a seedbox.
- • Torrents can be organized using the label feature (great for keeping torrents grouped similarly, such as by private tracker).
- • Specific files can be removed (deselected) from the download list in a torrent (aka. partial seeding).
- • Has a "right-click in browser" context menu for additional torrent options.
- • "Live" torrent statistics tend to update more frequently (faster) than in TFlux.
- • Offers a wide range of torrent stats for running transfers; easily customized through the context menu in the column headings.
- • Bandwidth settings can easily be changed per torrent.
- • Easy to install & run on a Linux or Windows server.
Disadvantages
- • No "HTTP Downloading" — Users will require an FTP/SFTP or RSYNC client to download finished torrent files back to the home PC.
- • No RSS Feeds: Although this can be accomplished via NX/VNC access directly through the uTorrent client on the server (assuming you have a VPS or dedicated box), RSS is never an available option on a shared seedbox (aka. seedbox provider).
- • Unlike TorrentFlux, torrent data (files & folders) usually can not be deleted through the web interface (an FTP connection is required to manually delete content).
- • It’s not possible to download .torrent files from the WebUI - this has to be done using an SFTP connection (not regular FTP) which is likely not provided by a uTorrent reseller on a shared box.
- • Additional logins/accounts cannot be created through WebUI.
- • uTorrent doesn’t display the total or available drive space (GBs) remaining on the seedbox.
- • Lacks many key features that are available to TorrentFlux-b4rt.
- • Users can’t create their own torrents directly through WebUI.
Known Issues
- • Opera Incompatibility: The context menus (right-click) are not compatible with the Opera browser, nor is the ability to select/deselect files in a torrent.
- • Announce URLs: Editing a torrent’s announce URL directly through the torrent Properties does not work to change a torrent over to a different tracker’s announce. Even if it appears to be successfully changed, the original tracker will still be the one connected to the torrent.
- • Not like PC-uTorrent: When compared to the available options on a home-PC uTorrent client, uTorrent WebUI is just a barebones version and lacks a vast majority of its features.
TorrentFlux-b4rt
Advantages
Speeds & Usability:
- • Rich in features! Finished files in a torrent can be unrarred; VLC video playback; WGet/NZB support; multiple torrent uploading; and much more.
- • HTTP downloading — Users need not bother with FTP/SFTP - finished torrent files can be downloaded straight from the browser via HTTP. Also great for created sub-accounts whereas FTP access is not automatically administered.
- • Download burst speeds are comparable to both uTorrent and wTorrent, with rates exceeding 10 MB/s on well-seeded transfers.
- • Of all the three, TFlux generally offers the slowest sustainable upload rates. Great over the long haul, but not the same magic seen when seeding torrents in uTorrent WebUI. Rarely are UL rates above & beyond 1 or 2 MB/s in TFlux.
Others…
- • Remaining drive space (storage) for the seedbox is shown, as is the server load.
- • RSS Feeds — Support for tracker RSS feeds (direct download feeds), with the option for automatically adding & starting torrent jobs from the feeds (watch jobs).
- • Adding other users/sub-accounts are a snap to set up. Disk quotas (i.e. limiting or allocating sub-accounts to specific drivespace or torrents requires server ‘root’ access and a small plugin script).
- • Multiple torrent jobs can be controlled (start, stop, delete) simultaneously.
- • Added .torrent files can be downloaded back to a home computer directly through the browser.
- • Finished files/torrents can be permanently deleted from the server from within the TFlux GUI (FTP not required).
- • Has a built-in "Make Torrent" feature for adding & seeding your own torrents. Also works to change the announce URL over to a different tracker.
- • Supports multiple BitTorrent clients (Tornado, Transmission, MainLine, Azureus).
- • There’s a messaging (PM) system - handy for owners to make new announcements to sub-account holders.
- • Displays each user’s Directory in the browser whereby all downloaded files & folders are contained (similar to FTP) as well as other various options can be controlled.
- • Finished files & folders can be renamed and moved.
- • Each user has a Profile where the main index page can be customized.
- • Seedbox owners have Superadmin access whereby server troubleshooting can be conducted, as well as administrative functions.
Disadvantages
- • High learning curve, especially for advanced features such as automatic RSS torrent adding/downloading (Fluxd, RSSAD & Watch); and disk/torrent quotas for added users.
- • Hard on RAM and system/server resources in comparison to uTorrent WebUI and rTorrent/wTorrent. TFlux is less suitable for adding multiple users sharing the same resources.
- • Generally has slower upload rates & lower connectivity when compared to uTorrent WebUI and rTorrent (wTorrent).
- • Torrent jobs cannot be organized, arranged or sorted on the main index page - they are listed sequentially by date added.
- • Remaining storage (when shown) is usually reflective collectively of all accounts on the server, and not displayed per individual sub-account (in the case of a reseller or shared TFlux install).
- • Error messages (when exceeding limits such as storage space on sub-accounts) are not always explained. Errors in torrent jobs pertaining to the tracker are not shown.
Known Issues
- • Integrated Search: This hasn’t been updated in ages, and even displays links to public torrent sites. Don’t use it.
- • BitTorrent clientlist incompatibility with certain private trackers.
- • Can be prone to timeouts or crashing in the browser, where a page refresh is required to relaunch the GUI.
- • Depending on how TorrentFlux-b4rt has been set up by the owner, the available options for a shared TFlux account may vary greatly from provider to provider. Thus, there’s more room for fluctuation due to the complexity. Often the case, resellers will limit torrent speeds (download and seeding rates) which may or may not be overridden in the torrent settings.
- • FTP access to the server for created sub-accounts is not generated automatically.
- • Many administrators & seedbox providers don’t know how to properly configure the settings/options, or upgrade BT clients to trackers’ whitelists (allowable clients).
wTorrent Web UI (rTorrent)
Advantages
Speeds & Usability:
- • Unlike TFlux, listed torrent jobs can be arranged & filtered through various categorical criteria (by name, size, peers, ratio, etc).
- • Compatibility: BitTorrent client is rTorrent; widely accepted at just about every private tracker.
- • wTorrent offers many more features than uTorrent, and is amazingly simple to control.
- • Burstable speeds can easily max out the available connection.
- • Tends to seed (upload) faster than TorrentFlux, but not quite as quickly as uTorrent seedboxes.
Others…
- • Natively Linux - No ‘wine’ to install to turn a Linux server into a makeshift Windows one, wTorrent is the frontend UI for rTorrent that runs under most *Nux derivatives (Ubuntu, Debian etc). Because the client is command-line based, wTorrent is amazingly easy on server resources.
- • Fairly simple to install on a server via command line.
- • Remaining drive space (storage) is shown for the seedbox account, as is the overall transfer rate & per-torrent speeds.
- • Has RSS feeds (for direct download tracker feeds).
- • Torrent/tracker error messages are clearly displayed for each torrent job (highlighted with red stripes), with a mouseover/details feature for each specific error.
- • Users can select specific files to download (or not download) in each torrent, similar to uTorrent.
- • Shows the path to the .torrent file for each torrent job, as well as the data path for the finished files.
- • Includes tabs for the ability of sorting/viewing the different status’ of torrent jobs.
- • Has a mouseclick feature for additional torrent job info on the main page; such as peerlists, files in the torrent, and the ability to view the tracker (announce URL) for each.
- • Offers the ability to control multiple torrent jobs simultaneously (stop, delete, hash, erase).
- • ‘Admins’ can create additional sub-accounts, and the UL/DL speeds can also be set here (but the number of active torrents cannot be changed or limited). See Known Issues for more on sub-accounts.
Disadvantages
- • Torrent statistics are not automatically refreshed at preset time intervals (like uTorrent and TorrentFlux) - the user must manually do this by clicking the double-arrow icon at the bottom of the page. However, here’s a cool Firefox Addon that refreshes web pages.
- • Will often timeout in the browser, requiring a manual page refresh whereby users will have to log in again, in some instances.
- • .torrent files cannot be downloaded directly from the wTorrent Web UI. This has to be done using an SFTP connection to the server.
- • UL/DL transfer rates cannot be manually changed or set (as a hard limit) for each individual torrent.
- • No "HTTP Downloading" — Users will require an FTP/SFTP or RSYNC client to download files from a completed (seeding) torrent back to the home PC.
- • When torrents are added using the "private" checkmark, they are not immediately shown on the main page (users will need to click the private tab to view jobs).
- • No multiple torrent uploads.
Known Issues
- • Peerlist values (number of seeders/leechers) are not always displayed correctly when compared to the stats on the tracker.
- • "Erase" function will not necessarily permanently delete files/folders for torrent jobs; it will need to be manually done through FTP/SFTP.
- • All sub-accounts created through the Web UI (admin or regular) will be able to view all torrent jobs on the main page, including other sub-accounts and the admin’s account.
- • FTP access is not automatically applied to new sub-accounts through the Web UI. Thus, if you create a new login (for a friend), they won’t be able to connect through their own login details via FTP to download the finished torrent files.
- • Sub-accounts that were created may have issues with adding torrent jobs from certain private trackers (torrents won’t connect [0:0] ).
Our Recommendations:
Seedbox Speed. Our pick - uTorrent. In terms of raw speed (especially for seeding) uTorrent WebUI is the winner. We don’t need to present a bunch of screenshots or multiple tests across varying providers & platforms to confirm great speeds with uTorrent: reality is, it’s the fastest BT client & seedbox UI (even when connecting to non-OVH swarms). It also refreshes extremely fast in the browser. The drawback? Lack of features when compared to home-uTorrent - and unless you can get VNC/NX access to the server, these won’t be available. TorrentFlux & wTorrent offer many more options in the browser.
Seedbox Functionality. Our pick - TorrentFlux-b4rt wins in a landslide. So much stuff to cover, it needs its own bible. Advanced users will delight in this GUI. Put TFlux onto a dedicated or VPS server with some decent specs and it won’t let you down. The drawback? Less suitable to split up. If you’re in the market for a ’shared seedbox’, steer clear of a TFlux box, it’s always a better decision to go with the other two.
Seedbox (of the Future). Our pick - wTorrent/rTorrent. Natively Linux, the rTorrent BT client works by CLI (command line) which translates to unsurpassed server efficiency - plus it’s supported by all private trackers. It’s also open-source, making it a great candidate for new frontends (UIs) to be developed. wTorrent has stepped to the front of the line as the UI most preferred.
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