# webtorrent/instant.io

🚀 Streaming file transfer over WebTorrent (torrents on the web)

Repository: https://github.com/webtorrent/instant.io
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/instantio
Homepage: https://instant.io
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: webtorrent, javascript, bittorrent, webrtc, streaming, p2p, nodejs
Last push: 2026-08-26T17:48:52+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 77/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4414, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3594, forks 441 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:11.311340+00:00)

## What it is
Instant.io is a web application for streaming file transfer over WebTorrent (BitTorrent over WebRTC), letting users share and download files directly in the browser via drag-and-drop or magnet links. It can be self-hosted on your own Node.js server, though most users can simply use the WebTorrent library directly.

## Use cases
- send large files to someone without uploading to a cloud service
- download a file from a magnet link in the browser
- share files via a shareable link with an infohash
- seed files from the browser without installing a torrent client
- self-host a WebTorrent-based file transfer site
- transfer files peer-to-peer without a central server holding the data

## When to choose
- you want browser-based, plugin-free torrent file sharing
- you need a quick shareable link for peer-to-peer file transfer
- you want to self-host a WebTorrent file transfer service

## When to avoid
- you need end-to-end encrypted transfers with persistent links (use Wormhole instead)
- you only need to add WebTorrent file transfer to your own site (use the WebTorrent library directly)
- you need transfers with non-WebRTC torrent peers or traditional BitTorrent client compatibility guarantees

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: p2p, file-upload, web-scraping, http-server
- domain: web-development, files, privacy, self-hosted
- platform: browser, self-hosted
- tags: webtorrent, bittorrent, webrtc, file-transfer, streaming, magnet-links, web-server, nodejs

## Member repositories
- webtorrent/instant.io (main) score 77

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:11.311340+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:33:49.605308+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/webtorrent/instant.io (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:11.311340+00:00, sha 33941ed6dd2e)
  - homepage: https://instant.io (fetched 2026-08-29T09:27:24.473251+00:00, sha 758e1e01774c)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.