I haven't uploaded a new file to TL before but on other private trackers it was fairly straight forward. I just created the torrent in QBit, filled out their upload form making sure to follow the rules as far as naming conventions, listing metadata for the file(s), including screenshots, and copying and pasting a plot summary from somewhere like IMDB, before finally completing it all and uploading my torrent to the site for mod approval. I'm away from my PC right now so I can't check but I'm sure they have their upload requirements listed in the FAQ or Rules page.

Another great way to build ratio there is to filter by torrents listed in the last couple of hours and grab them (especially freeleech) even if you have zero interest in watching the content and seeding it for as long as possible. The mods there recommended this to me back when I first signed up and got banned because I hadn't uploaded or downloaded anything within the first week or two of signing up.

You probably have to wait a while to become an uploader.

An easy way to get lots of free upload is to download framestor remux files. If it’s marked “freeleech”, it won’t cost you to download but you’ll get all the upload credit.

I just signed up to TL as well. I just grabbed a couple of the latest uploads (top of the browse section) that was freeleech (so download doesn't count it seems) and they finished quickly and I've already seeded a few GB which is showing up on my upload total now. Both were 15 and 30GB so they weren't small, but since they were posted within the past hour ish, there are still plenty of leechers to seed to.

I'll probably do this for a bit on any new freeleech uploads to accumulate some credit. If I'm understanding the rules correctly, even if you grab a non freeleech and have trouble seeding above 1.0, you'll still be forgiven for that torrent if you let it run long enough to meet the time requirement. So it seems hard to really mess up.

If you want more advance, Then get content freelech first on torrentleech IRC channel, as new releases are announced there before they appear on the site. Using autobrr is best for that
github.com/autobrr/autobrr

Here is torrenteech guide to download freeleech using autobrr
wiki.torrentleech.org/doku.php…

Be aware that many users have seedboxes on torrentleech, so you will be competing with them. Without a seedbox, you will have a hard time uploading (seeding). This should not be problem if you permaseed your torrents, as you will earn points that can be exchanged for upload credit.

GitHub - autobrr/autobrr: Modern, easy to use download automation for torrents and usenet.

Modern, easy to use download automation for torrents and usenet. - autobrr/autobrr

^GitHub

If you already have that same exact torrent, and I don't mean It's the 1999 matrix but the exact distro bit for bit for bit file they have, You can start downloading that torrent from them, let it make the structure on your file system, stop your torrent client. Replace the contents of the file in that structure with your already completed stuff, start the torrent client and do a force recheck.

If the file you put there is 100% binary exact for what it's expecting you will start seeding right off the bat

The Internet is a free place, in the sense that it's very, very public.

Expose the VPN and nothing else, if you can. There are always automated attacks scanning literally the entire Internet.

Can I expose webserver, SSH, WireGuard to the internet with reasonable safety?

Yes, yes, and yes. Though in all three cases, you would want to have some sort of filtering and IPS in place, like fail2ban or similar, at an absolute minimum. There are port scanners of all kinds scanning for vulnerable software that can be exploited. Some people suggest changing the port numbers away from the default, and while security through obscurity can be a valid tactic, it alone is not a layer of your security onion.

A reverse proxy plus tunnel is a reasonable default recommendation because it is easy and prevents a large class of low-effort attacks and exploits, but tunneling has its drawbacks such as adding a component that exists outside of your direct control. It is also not a panacea. Reverse proxying alone is also workable, as it means just one point of entry to reinforce with logging and blocking.

But I feel like if I cant open a port to the internet to host a webserver then the internet is no longer a free place and we're cooked.

The Internet is still (for now) a free place, but just like with free speech, effort must be expended to keep it free. The threats have increased and while other simpler options have arisen to fill demand for self hosting, this endeavor is about investing sufficient time and effort to keep it going.

In my estimation, it is no different then tending to a garden in the face of rising environmental calamities. You can and should do it, so long as you're fully informed about the effort required.

So, hate to break this to you but it's been almost 20 years since you shouldn't just open ports directly to your computer from your home router AND it's been about that long since ISPs just don't allow traffic to customers on standard ports like 80, 443, 21, 22, etc.

The way to do this is actually to have multiple computers, with the first computer acting as your firewall, IDS, and IPS. That computer should run no other services and should be heavily locked down after it's setup, as in most things should be made read-only except the few variable files that are required for operations.

That computer should then route traffic to computers behind it that provide services like https, ssh, etc. This setup makes everything much safer.

But you'll still have to contend with your ISP and they don't usually budge, so you'll have to run services on non-standard ports.