Essentially, how they work is that a file gets split up into tons of little pieces that are downloaded and then re-assembled.
Each person in a "swarm" can download and upload these little pieces. While you are downloading pieces you don't have, you are also uploading pieces you do have to others that do not have those pieces.
If everyone has roughly the same amount of upload and download, everyone can download the file at the speed of the "seeder".
A "seeder" is a client (or clients) that makes all the pieces available. They are doing no downloading, just uploading. It takes one or more initial seeders to make the files available initially.
The more "seeders" (and the more upload those seeders have) the better for the swarm, and the faster you download something.
This is all different than the way a typical website works, where a server has all the data and the connection between just that one server and you dictates how fast you will download the file.
The same principle applies, just on a very small scale. Think of it sort of like if CF existed on everyone's computer at the same time, and you pulled each individual element (i.e. image, text, ****** etc) from different people's computers.
edit: I should note when I say that everyone can download it at the speed of the seeder, I meant the initial seeder. That isn't very clear above there. Once the file gets seeded out, you can theoretically download at the combined speed of everyone in the swarm's upload capacity (which generally is more than your download is on large torrents).
Each person in a "swarm" can download and upload these little pieces. While you are downloading pieces you don't have, you are also uploading pieces you do have to others that do not have those pieces.
If everyone has roughly the same amount of upload and download, everyone can download the file at the speed of the "seeder".
A "seeder" is a client (or clients) that makes all the pieces available. They are doing no downloading, just uploading. It takes one or more initial seeders to make the files available initially.
The more "seeders" (and the more upload those seeders have) the better for the swarm, and the faster you download something.
This is all different than the way a typical website works, where a server has all the data and the connection between just that one server and you dictates how fast you will download the file.
The same principle applies, just on a very small scale. Think of it sort of like if CF existed on everyone's computer at the same time, and you pulled each individual element (i.e. image, text, ****** etc) from different people's computers.
edit: I should note when I say that everyone can download it at the speed of the seeder, I meant the initial seeder. That isn't very clear above there. Once the file gets seeded out, you can theoretically download at the combined speed of everyone in the swarm's upload capacity (which generally is more than your download is on large torrents).
