BTT is the cryptocurrency used within the BitTorrent ecosystem. BitTorrent itself is a decentralized peer-to-peer protocol, launched in 2011, that enables people to share and distribute data and large files over the internet without relying on a third-party middleman. File uploads and downloads can be carried out through BitTorrent’s own applications as well as through supported client platforms.

The BTT token was introduced in 2019. It is a TRC-20 token with a maximum supply of 990,000,000,000,000. Mostly, it functions as a utility token across the BitTorrent ecosystem, including use in products such as BitTorrent Speed, BitTorrent File System, and DLive. 

BTT is also designed to motivate participants to supply infrastructure services for the BitTorrent ecosystem, rewarding them with tokens in return. The team’s goal is to help bring the protocol closer to the crypto community. Additionally, the token is used to tackle certain limitations of the BitTorrent ecosystem, including the imbalance between upload and download speeds. 

What are BitTorrent’s key features and how does it work?

As noted, BTT is used throughout the BitTorrent ecosystem and across its various products-such as the BitTorrent Speed tool. With it, users can achieve quicker download speeds, and the feature is available within BitTorrent as well as through µTorrent Web and µTorrent Classic. BitTorrent Speed is aimed at addressing issues tied to uneven upload versus download performance. 

In practice, downloads may finish before corresponding uploads, which can cause users to stop seeding files when incentive is lacking. In that scenario, uploaders can earn BTT tokens for supporting faster downloads by continuing to seed after downloads for a longer period and by allocating more bandwidth and storage to torrent clients.