self-hosted i2p+qbittorrent beginner quickstart
Thought I would share my simple docker/podman setup for torrenting over I2P. It's just 2 files, a compose file and a config file, along with an in-depth explanation, available at my repo codeberg.org/xabadak/podman-i2… And it comes with a built-in "kill-switch" to prevent traffic leaking out to the clearnet. But for the uninitiated, some may be wondering:
What is I2P and why should I care?
For a p2p system like bittorrent, for two peers to connect to each other, at least one side needs to have their ports open. If one side uses a VPN, their provider needs to support "port forwarding" in order for them to have their ports open (assuming everything else is configured properly). If you have ever tried to download a torrent with seeders available, yet failed to connect to any of them, your ports are probably not open. And with regulators cracking down on VPNs and forcing providers like Mullvad to shut down port forwarding, torrenting over the clearnet is becoming more and more difficult.
The I2P network doesn't have these issues. The I2P is an alternative internet network where all users are anonymous by default. So you don't need a VPN to hide your activity from your ISP. You don't need port-forwarding either, all peers can reach each other. And if you do happen to run a VPN on your PC, that's fine too - I2P will work just the same. So if you're turning your VPN on and off all the time, you can keep I2P running throughout, and continue downloading/uploading.
I2P eliminates all the complications and worries about seeding, making it easy for beginners to contribute to the network. I2P also makes downloading easier, since all peers are always reachable. And it's more decentralized too, since users don't need to rely on VPN providers. And of course, it's free and open source!
A fair warning though, I2P is restricted in some countries. And in terms of torrenting specifically, torrents have to explicitly support I2P. You can't just take any clearnet torrent and expect it to work on I2P. And the speeds are generally lower since there are less seeders, and the built-in anonymity has a cost as well. However I've been surprised at the amount of content on the I2P network, and I've been able to reach 1 MB/s download speeds. It's more than good enough for me, and it will only get better the more people join, so I hope this repo is enough for people to get started.
like this
crewman_princess
in reply to xabadak • • •xabadak
in reply to crewman_princess • • •podman network create --internal ...andpodman run ..., but it's definitely doable in an hour or so.Distrobox
distrobox.itFedegenerate
in reply to xabadak • • •I really want to build an i2p router, and have started a couple times, but the lack of control of what goes through my hardware stops me every time. It's a cool project and, sadly, looking more necessary every year.
It's weird I don't have these hang ups for other systems. Running a meshcore node doesn't give me the willies. Just for i2p I worry how much csam is going through my router.
xabadak
in reply to Fedegenerate • • •like this
Quantumantics likes this.
Fedegenerate
in reply to xabadak • • •Agreed. I'll get over myself one day and build one. For now Airvpn supports port forwarding at an affordable (to me) price, so I let them deal with the moral dilemma.
It's coming though, i2p is where my server is headed, even if I keep a VPN up too.
Blackmist
in reply to Fedegenerate • • •Fedegenerate
in reply to Blackmist • • •glitching
in reply to xabadak • • •looks easy enough, will try, thank you.
tbh, looked at the thing some while back and noped out when I saw "java" in there; absolutely irrational, I know - just can't stand the thing. cool that there's an alternative.
xabadak
in reply to glitching • • •nfreak
in reply to xabadak • • •shrewdcat
in reply to xabadak • • •I remember reading about I2P back in the day. I am old school. If my old memory serves me correctly, I think there are some vulnerabilities with using I2P instead of say a VPN? (Now, I am going to have to go down that rabbit hole again to refresh my memory.)
Edit to add;
The list below describes some of I2P’s main disadvantages.
- Complex configuration process: It necessitates a drawn-out installation procedure and specific browser settings.
Source
There was an exploit last May, however, if one is not able to fork over money for a VPN, I2P is a good alternative for a free option.
The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) - A Brief Explanation
Cyber Shop Cyprusxabadak
in reply to shrewdcat • • •Thanks for the info, I would not claim to be an expert about I2P so some of this is definitely new to me. Though I think the situation has improved quite a bit.
If you just want I2P without the torrenting, you can use the official I2P router, which is just an HTTP proxy that runs on your PC, just like Tor. The 3rd-party router used in my guide, i2pd, has a Flatpak as well. So as far as installing the router goes, it's a few clicks. You are correct that it does require configuring the browser though, you are correct. This is explained in my guide and also on the official website. Not as easy as clicking an "Install" button, but only takes around 5 minutes. I wish there were an official I2P browser like the Tor browser though.
Not sure what you mean by this. I've never had to log into anything to set up I2P.
I have no doubt. But Tor has had many vulnerabilities too. Both have gotten much better over time.
Definitely true. In fact it makes me suspicious how fast TOR is despite how many users there are, and how the relatively high requirements to be a relay (not to mention an exit node). AFAIK TOR is heavily reliant on rich and generous patrons, which makes me wonder about the motives of these patrons. I believe I2P has the potential to be much more decentralized, since every user is expected to also be a router, and Techlore has also raised this point (though I don't have the video on me right now).
I didn't know this. What are indexed sites?
GitHub - PurpleI2P/i2pd: 🛡 I2P: End-to-End encrypted and anonymous Internet
GitHubshrewdcat
in reply to xabadak • • •xabadak
in reply to shrewdcat • • •WhyJiffie
in reply to xabadak • • •are you sure about that? for public torrents you just add the postman tracker and done. if libtorrent gets support for DHT over I2P, even that won't be needed
xabadak
in reply to WhyJiffie • • •WhyJiffie
in reply to xabadak • • •VeryFrugal
in reply to xabadak • • •And that list is almost identical with Naughty-no-gift-from-Santa list.
Strict Countries - I2P
geti2p.netBlueRingedOctopus
in reply to xabadak • • •xabadak
in reply to BlueRingedOctopus • • •i2pd.conffile in my repo as a reference, just make sure to use 127.0.0.1 instead of 0.0.0.0 so that only applications running on your computer would be able to access i2pd (0.0.0.0 is only needed for docker). Then you would configure your browser and qbittorrent the same way detailed in my repo, except make sure to enable "mixed" mode so that your torrents are seeding over both clearnet and I2P. Lastly, even though you'll be seeding your torrents over I2P, nobody will be able to find them unless you post them to an I2P tracker like Postman. I don't know how to submit torrents to Postman so you're on your own for that oneInstalling - i2pd documentation
i2pd.readthedocs.iogarret
in reply to xabadak • • •Thank you! I just randomly found your guide in another Lemmy post and this kind of setup has been in my to-do list after I became "pro" with gluetun and qbitorrent (inside Docker) and thought the same could be done for i2pd but haven't had the time.
I have some questions
PS: I have an improvement for your guide 😁You could add an extra container with Mullvad-Browser (still from linuxserver) to access Postman.