CONFIG Template

rTorrent Configuration Template

Overview

This page contains a modern rTorrent configuration that provides a good starting point. Its expressed purpose is to replace that years-old rotting piece of garbage that people still use to create their first configuration. Friends don't let friends use that!

A detailed explanation of this configuration can be found at Config Template Deconstructed.

It uses 0.9.x syntax and is tested using 0.9.6, so be sure to run snippets you add through the migration script. Be considerate in what you add, this is supposed to help new users to jump-start their installation, so keep things out that are not applicable to a wide range of people. Place advanced use-cases in the appropriate sections of the wiki, like the Configuration Guide.

Using the Template

Use these commands to get a copy of the template to your disk (note that this overwrites an existing ~/.rtorrent.rc you might have), and create the root directory for your instance:

curl -Ls "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/rakshasa/rtorrent/CONFIG-Template.md" \
    | sed -ne "/^######/,/^### END/p" \
    | sed -re "s:/home/USERNAME:$HOME:" >~/.rtorrent.rc
mkdir -p ~/rtorrent/

Then (re-)start rTorrent.

The Template

Also see Load ‘Drop-In’ Config Fragments on how to extend this so you can load extensions to this template from files in a config.d directory.

#############################################################################
# A minimal rTorrent configuration that provides the basic features
# you want to have in addition to the built-in defaults.
#
# See https://github.com/rakshasa/rtorrent/wiki/CONFIG-Template
# for an up-to-date version.
#############################################################################


## Instance layout (base paths)
method.insert = cfg.basedir,  private|const|string, (cat,"/home/USERNAME/rtorrent/")
method.insert = cfg.download, private|const|string, (cat,(cfg.basedir),"download/")
method.insert = cfg.logs,     private|const|string, (cat,(cfg.basedir),"log/")
method.insert = cfg.logfile,  private|const|string, (cat,(cfg.logs),"rtorrent-",(system.time),".log")
method.insert = cfg.session,  private|const|string, (cat,(cfg.basedir),".session/")
method.insert = cfg.watch,    private|const|string, (cat,(cfg.basedir),"watch/")


## Create instance directories
execute.throw = sh, -c, (cat,\
    "mkdir -p \"",(cfg.download),"\" ",\
    "\"",(cfg.logs),"\" ",\
    "\"",(cfg.session),"\" ",\
    "\"",(cfg.watch),"/load\" ",\
    "\"",(cfg.watch),"/start\" ")


## Listening port for incoming peer traffic (fixed; you can also randomize it)
network.port_range.set = 50000-50000
network.port_random.set = no


## Tracker-less torrent and UDP tracker support
## (conservative settings for 'private' trackers, change for 'public')
dht.mode.set = disable
protocol.pex.set = no

trackers.use_udp.set = no


## Peer settings
throttle.max_uploads.set = 100
throttle.max_uploads.global.set = 250

throttle.min_peers.normal.set = 20
throttle.max_peers.normal.set = 60
throttle.min_peers.seed.set = 30
throttle.max_peers.seed.set = 80
trackers.numwant.set = 80

protocol.encryption.set = allow_incoming,try_outgoing,enable_retry


## Limits for file handle resources, this is optimized for
## an `ulimit` of 1024 (a common default). You MUST leave
## a ceiling of handles reserved for rTorrent's internal needs!
network.http.max_open.set = 50
network.max_open_files.set = 600
network.max_open_sockets.set = 300


## Memory resource usage (increase if you have a large number of items loaded,
## and/or the available resources to spend)
pieces.memory.max.set = 1800M
network.xmlrpc.size_limit.set = 4M


## Basic operational settings (no need to change these)
session.path.set = (cat, (cfg.session))
directory.default.set = (cat, (cfg.download))
log.execute = (cat, (cfg.logs), "execute.log")
#log.xmlrpc = (cat, (cfg.logs), "xmlrpc.log")
execute.nothrow = sh, -c, (cat, "echo >",\
    (session.path), "rtorrent.pid", " ",(system.pid))


## Other operational settings (check & adapt)
encoding.add = UTF-8
system.umask.set = 0027
system.cwd.set = (directory.default)
network.http.dns_cache_timeout.set = 25
schedule2 = monitor_diskspace, 15, 60, ((close_low_diskspace, 1000M))
#pieces.hash.on_completion.set = no
#view.sort_current = seeding, greater=d.ratio=
#keys.layout.set = qwerty
#network.http.capath.set = "/etc/ssl/certs"
#network.http.ssl_verify_peer.set = 0
#network.http.ssl_verify_host.set = 0


## Some additional values and commands
method.insert = system.startup_time, value|const, (system.time)
method.insert = d.data_path, simple,\
    "if=(d.is_multi_file),\
        (cat, (d.directory), /),\
        (cat, (d.directory), /, (d.name))"
method.insert = d.session_file, simple, "cat=(session.path), (d.hash), .torrent"


## Watch directories (add more as you like, but use unique schedule names)
## Add torrent
schedule2 = watch_load, 11, 10, ((load.verbose, (cat, (cfg.watch), "load/*.torrent")))
## Add & download straight away
schedule2 = watch_start, 10, 10, ((load.start_verbose, (cat, (cfg.watch), "start/*.torrent")))


## Run the rTorrent process as a daemon in the background
## (and control via XMLRPC sockets)
#system.daemon.set = true
#network.scgi.open_local = (cat,(session.path),rpc.socket)
#execute.nothrow = chmod,770,(cat,(session.path),rpc.socket)


## Logging:
##   Levels = critical error warn notice info debug
##   Groups = connection_* dht_* peer_* rpc_* storage_* thread_* tracker_* torrent_*
print = (cat, "Logging to ", (cfg.logfile))
log.open_file = "log", (cfg.logfile)
log.add_output = "info", "log"
#log.add_output = "tracker_debug", "log"

### END of rtorrent.rc ###