Quick start

Get your BitTorrent client connected to public trackers in minutes. This guide walks you through fetching your first tracker list and integrating it into your setup.

Get your first tracker list

The fastest way to improve your torrent connectivity is to start with the best performing trackers.

Choose your tracker list

Start with trackers_best.txt - a curated list of the 20 highest performing trackers, automatically updated daily.

The best list includes only the fastest, most reliable trackers sorted by popularity and latency. Perfect for getting started.

Fetch the tracker list

Download the list using any of these three mirror URLs:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ngosang/trackerslist/master/trackers_best.txt

All three URLs provide the same content. Use the jsDelivr CDN for faster global access, or the GitHub Pages mirror if raw.githubusercontent.com is blocked in your region.

Verify the content

Check that you received a valid tracker list:

head -n 5 trackers_best.txt

You should see tracker URLs in this format:

udp://tracker.opentrackr.org:1337/announce

udp://open.demonii.com:1337/announce

udp://open.stealth.si:80/announce

Each tracker URL is separated by a blank line. This format is compatible with most BitTorrent clients.

Quick integration examples

Once you have the tracker list file, here’s how to quickly test it:

Command line
Python script
Shell script

Download the list and display it ready for copying:

curl -s https://ngosang.github.io/trackerslist/trackers_best.txt | grep -v '^$'

This removes blank lines, making it easy to copy all trackers at once.

Fetch and parse trackers programmatically:

import requests

response = requests.get('https://ngosang.github.io/trackerslist/trackers_best.txt')
trackers = [line for line in response.text.split('\n') if line.strip()]

print(f"Found {len(trackers)} trackers")
for tracker in trackers[:5]:
    print(tracker)

Automate tracker updates with a simple script:

#!/bin/bash
TRACKER_URL="https://ngosang.github.io/trackerslist/trackers_best.txt"
OUTPUT_FILE="trackers.txt"

curl -s "$TRACKER_URL" -o "$OUTPUT_FILE"
echo "Downloaded $(grep -c '^[^[:space:]]' $OUTPUT_FILE) trackers"

Understanding tracker formats

TrackersList uses standard BitTorrent tracker announce URLs. Here’s what different protocols look like:

UDP trackers (most common)

udp://tracker.opentrackr.org:1337/announce
udp://open.demonii.com:1337/announce
udp://exodus.desync.com:6969/announce

UDP trackers are the most widely used protocol. They offer low latency and work with all major BitTorrent clients.

HTTP/HTTPS trackers

http://tracker.opentrackr.org:1337/announce
https://torrent.tracker.durukanbal.com:443/announce

HTTP(S) trackers work through standard web protocols. They’re useful when UDP is blocked by firewalls.

WebSocket trackers

wss://tracker.files.fm:7073/announce
ws://tracker.files.fm:7072/announce

WebSocket trackers (WebTorrent) are only supported by clients like WebTorrent Desktop, Instant.io, and some modern web-based clients.

I2P trackers

http://4olv65sj4ifeak26wqiifr3q2vjv5d44x733ncqhtd7cmjwoinpa.b32.i2p:80/announce

I2P trackers require an I2P Router and compatible clients like qBittorrent, BiglyBT, or Tixati for anonymous torrenting.

Integration methods for different clients

Choose the integration guide that matches your BitTorrent client:

qBittorrent

Automatic tracker updates via settings or manual addition to torrents

Transmission

Add trackers globally or per-torrent using the web UI or CLI scripts

Deluge

Use plugins or console commands to configure default trackers

aria2

Configure bt-tracker option in aria2.conf for command-line downloading

rTorrent

Add trackers via .rtorrent.rc configuration file

Torrent files

Edit .torrent files directly to embed tracker lists

Protocol-specific lists

Need trackers for a specific protocol? Use these specialized lists:

UDP only

51 trackers - Low latency UDP protocol

curl -O https://ngosang.github.io/trackerslist/trackers_all_udp.txt

HTTP only

47 trackers - Firewall-friendly HTTP protocol

curl -O https://ngosang.github.io/trackerslist/trackers_all_http.txt

HTTPS only

14 trackers - Encrypted HTTPS connections

curl -O https://ngosang.github.io/trackerslist/trackers_all_https.txt

WebSocket

2 trackers - WebTorrent compatible (ws/wss)

curl -O https://ngosang.github.io/trackerslist/trackers_all_ws.txt

DNS troubleshooting

If you’re experiencing DNS resolution issues, use IP-based tracker lists:

Identify DNS issues

DNS problems typically manifest as:

Trackers showing as “Not contacted” or timing out
Torrents unable to find peers despite healthy seeders
Inconsistent connectivity across different networks

Switch to IP-based lists

Use these lists that contain IP addresses instead of domain names:

curl -O https://ngosang.github.io/trackerslist/trackers_best_ip.txt

IP lists are shorter than domain lists because Cloudflare-protected trackers are excluded (Cloudflare IPs are shared and would require DNS anyway).

Example IP-based trackers

IP lists look like this:

udp://93.158.213.92:1337/announce
udp://185.121.168.96:1337/announce
udp://185.243.218.213:80/announce

These bypass DNS entirely, connecting directly to tracker IP addresses.

IP addresses may change over time. The lists are updated daily, but you should periodically refresh your tracker lists to maintain optimal connectivity.

Verify your setup

After integrating trackers, confirm they’re working:

Check tracker status

In your BitTorrent client, look at a torrent’s tracker list. You should see:

Status: “Working” or “Announcing”
Seeds/peers numbers updating
Last announce time within the last few minutes

Monitor peer discovery

Open a healthy torrent with known seeders:

Peers should start appearing within 1-2 minutes
Multiple trackers should report working status
Seed/peer counts should increase

Test download speed

Start a popular torrent:

Initial peer discovery: 30-60 seconds
Download should begin once peers connect
More trackers = faster peer discovery = better speeds

If you’re not seeing improvements, ensure your port forwarding is configured correctly in your client and router.

Next steps

Now that you have trackers working, explore advanced integration:

Client integration guides

Detailed setup instructions for every major BitTorrent client

Automation scripts

Automate tracker updates with cron jobs and scripts

API reference

Integrate TrackersList into your applications programmatically

Advanced usage

Protocol selection, private networks (I2P, Yggdrasil), and optimization

All tracker lists are automatically updated daily to ensure you always have access to working, high-performance trackers.

Getting Started

Tracker Lists

Integration Guides

Advanced

Get your first tracker list

Quick integration examples

Understanding tracker formats

Integration methods for different clients

qBittorrent

Transmission

Deluge

aria2

rTorrent

Torrent files

Protocol-specific lists

UDP only

HTTP only

HTTPS only

WebSocket

DNS troubleshooting

Verify your setup

Next steps

Client integration guides

Automation scripts

API reference

Advanced usage

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

Tracker Lists

Integration Guides

Advanced

​Get your first tracker list

​Quick integration examples

​Understanding tracker formats

​Integration methods for different clients

qBittorrent

Transmission

Deluge

aria2

rTorrent

Torrent files

​Protocol-specific lists

UDP only

HTTP only

HTTPS only

WebSocket

​DNS troubleshooting

​Verify your setup

​Next steps

Client integration guides

Automation scripts

API reference

Advanced usage

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get your first tracker list

Quick integration examples

Understanding tracker formats

Integration methods for different clients

Protocol-specific lists

DNS troubleshooting

Verify your setup

Next steps