rTorrent Advanced Configuration

These instructions build upon the basic configuration and show you how to use the flexibility of rTorrent to add custom features.

1. Introduction

After you completed the basic configuration steps and got familiar with the handling of rTorrent, it's time to add settings that you should have in your configuration, but which weren't necessary to start using it.

This mainly means to add a few settings and tweaking what's there. After finishing this page, even more optimizations and specific extensions to your .rtorrent.rc can be found in the ConfigurationCookbook

2. Automatically start rTorrent

2.1. Using an "init.d" script

TODO

2.2. Using a cron watchdog

TODO

3. Enabling protocol encryption

To enable BitTorrent protocol encryption, choose one of the options presented below.

TODO settings have to be checked that they work as described...

Disable encryption

encryption = ...

Allow encryption

encryption = allow_incoming,try_outgoing,enable_retry

Enforce encryption

encryption = require,require_RC4,allow_incoming,enable_retry

4. Splitting your configuration

You can split your configuration file for easy reloading from within rTorrent at the command prompt (Ctrl+X), to do this follow the basic example below... There are some basic settings you will need to keep in ~/.rtorrent.rc, they are as follows:

# ~/.rtorrent.rc

# Session directory
session = ~/path/to/sessiondir/

# SCGI Settings also need to be here,
# comment/uncomment whether you want to use an scgi port or a local socket .. 
#scgi_port = localhost:54321
scgi_local = ~/path/to/sessiondir/rpc.socket

#  Finally, import secondary options file...
method.insert = reload, simple|private, "import=~/path/to/secondary/.rtoptions"
reload=

The secondary options file will contain all the rest of your rTorrent configuration. Just make sure to only put stuff into it that can actually be repeated several times, and keep the rest in the startup configuration. For example, schedules can be redefined, while method definitions can not (under the same name). Once you have all your settings the way you desire in the secondary file... fire up rTorrent!

Now when you need to make changes, just edit ~/path/to/secondary/.rtoptions and then go into your rTorrent terminal, bring up the command prompt (Ctrl+X), type reload=⏎ and that's it... your configuration has been reloaded without having to restart rTorrent.

Please make sure your file paths are correct for your setup!

5. Coloring the ncurses interface

A colored ncurses interfaces improves the user experience a lot, especially when you shun the overhead and slowness of common web UIs. You need to apply patches to the official code for this, and compile rTorrent on your own (refer to RtorrentSetup#Installation_from_source for instructions). See RtorrentColorThemes for user-provided color themes and how they look like.