LT2http

LT2http (lt2http) is a torrent download and streaming engine with an HTTP API. It downloads torrents with libtorrent, can keep the data in memory instead of on disk, and streams any file of a torrent over HTTP while it downloads, to Kodi, a browser or any media player.

It’s a separate project from Elementum: Elementum has its own engine and does not need LT2http. Use LT2http when you want a lightweight torrent streaming backend for your own scripts, add-ons or players. Latest release: v0.0.16.

Parts

Project	What it is
lt2http	The engine: a C++ web server built on libtorrent, Boost and Oat++.
lt2http-binaries	Prebuilt `lt2http` binaries for every platform.
service.lt2http	Kodi add-on that runs the binary as a Kodi service and passes your Kodi settings to it.

In Kodi

Install LT2http from the ElementumOrg repository, or download the zip from Downloads. As with Elementum, enable both Application control options in Settings → Services → Control first.

The add-on has no browsing interface yet: it starts lt2http when Kodi starts, stops it when Kodi exits, downloads the right binary for your platform after an update, and restarts the engine when you change settings. Other add-ons use it through the API at http://127.0.0.1:65225.

Settings are in Add-ons → Services → LT2http → Configure:

Tab	What you set there
General	Pre-play buffer size and timeout, speed limits, connection limits, seeding, trackers, libtorrent options.
Storage	Storage type (memory or files), memory size, download and `.torrent` folders, disk cache.
Network	DHT, LSD, TCP, uTP, UPnP/NAT-PMP, listen and outgoing interfaces, listen ports.
Proxy	SOCKS4, SOCKS5, HTTP or I2P proxy for trackers, downloads and `.torrent` files.
Advanced	Local port, remote host and port, API login and password.

Storage

Memory: only the part around the playback position is kept in memory, the disk stores just the .torrent file. That’s what makes LT2http work on devices with little or slow storage. 100 MB is enough on devices with 1 GB of RAM, 200-250 MB on bigger ones. By default the size is chosen from the physical memory and grows for heavy torrents.
File: usual files on disk, the selected file’s full size must be free.

Running it yourself

lt2http is a single static binary, take it for your platform from lt2http-binaries. By default it listens on port 65225 on all interfaces.

lt2http --config lt2http.json --update    # load settings from lt2http.json and write back the full config
lt2http --web_port 8080 --download_storage file --download_path /data/downloads
lt2http --help                            # every option with its default value

Every setting is a command-line option and a key in the JSON config file, with the same name (web_port, download_storage, memory_size, download_path, buffer_size, max_download_rate, proxy_host, …). Set web_login and web_password to protect the API when it listens on a network interface.

HTTP API

The API answers in JSON, except the browser pages. Interactive docs (Swagger) are on http://localhost:65225/swagger/ui and the OpenAPI spec on /api-docs/oas-3.0.0.json. The main endpoints:

Endpoint	What it does
`GET /status`	Session status: speeds and torrents.
`GET /info`	Status page for a browser: torrents, files, trackers and pieces.
`GET /service/add/uri?uri=…`	Add a torrent by magnet link, `.torrent` URL or local path.
`POST /service/add/file`	Add a `.torrent` file.
`GET /torrents`	List torrents.
`GET /torrents/{infoHash}/files`	List files of a torrent.
`GET /torrents/{infoHash}/files/{index}/status`	Download and buffering progress of a file.
`GET /torrents/{infoHash}/files/{index}/stream/{file_name}`	Stream a file, with range requests for seeking. Give this URL to the player.
`GET /torrents/{infoHash}/pause`, `/resume`, `/remove`	Control a torrent.
`GET /settings/get`, `POST /settings/set`	Read or change settings at runtime.
`GET /changelog`	Changes in each release.
`GET /shutdown`	Stop the engine.

Source and building

LT2http is open source. Build instructions, dependencies and Docker cross-compilation are in the lt2http README. Report problems with the engine in lt2http issues and with the Kodi add-on in service.lt2http issues.