BitTorrent Sync P2P Sharing Rivals the Cloud

A growing number of cloud storage alternatives have emerged recently, as people are looking for more storage space for their information and easy access to their data from any location. Those who are looking for an alternative to cloud-based file management solutions such as Dropbox, for instance, should consider the new BitTorrent Sync.

As its name indicates, the BitTorrent Sync service allows users to synchronize their content across multiple device, operating based on a peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol similar to the one used for torrent files. Unlike cloud storage systems that take your data through a third party storage centre that can be accessed from various locations, the BitTorrent Sync actually creates copies of synced data on all paired devices.

The information users want to share with other devices is always protected and never stored on a server. The uploaded data is encrypted, each folder being assigned a 32 character key called a “secret.” The user can then use the code to sync their data on another device. Various codes can be assigned, so as to allow for instance master syncing or only one master device to alter the content, while the other devices get read-only access.

Since it is based on P2P and doesn’t have to go through the cloud, data transfer is considerably faster, running at the maximum speed supported by the user’s network. Moreover, the technology ensures that users will be able to access their information at any given time, no longer depending on a physical storage center, which could experience technical problems and thus deny them access to their own data.

BitTorrent Sync is in its alpha stage and available for public testing. This means that the application may yet undergo significant changes based on feedback from the users. For the time being, it is only available for Windows, Mac and Linux, but BitTorrent plans to extend it to mobile platforms in the near future.

[Image via BitTorrent]