How to Download Torrents From Terminal on Mac OS X

Downloading torrents using the Terminal on Mac OS X can be an efficient and resource-friendly way to manage your downloads. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it using the popular torrent client, Transmission.

Installing Transmission CLI on Mac

To start downloading torrents from the Terminal, you need to install Transmission CLI. This process is straightforward if you have the Homebrew package manager installed on your Mac.

Open Terminal: Launch the Terminal app on your Mac.
Install Homebrew: If you haven’t installed Homebrew yet, you can do so by following the instructions on the Homebrew website.
Install Transmission CLI: Once Homebrew is installed, type the following command in the Terminal and press Enter:
```
brew install transmission-cli
```
Homebrew will automatically install the correct version of Transmission CLI for your Mac, whether it's Intel-based or Apple silicon.

Using and Configuring Transmission CLI

Now that you have Transmission CLI installed, you can start downloading torrents.

Navigate to Your Torrent File: Place your .torrent file in a directory of your choice. For example, you might put it in the Downloads folder.
Start the Download: Open Terminal and navigate to the directory where your .torrent file is located. For instance:
```
cd ~/Downloads/
```
Initiate the Download: Use the following command to start the download, replacing <path/to/file> with the path to your .torrent file:
```
transmission-cli <path/to/file>
```
For example:
```
transmission-cli Downloads/Linux/ubuntu-23.04-desktop-amd64.torrent
```
This command will start downloading the torrent and save the files in the same directory as the .torrent file.

Changing the Download Location

You can specify a different download location using the -w or --download-dir option.

Specify the Download Directory: Use the following command to download and save the torrent in a specific directory. For example, to download and save in the Documents folder:
```
transmission-cli -w ~/Documents/ Downloads/Linux/ubuntu-23.04-desktop-amd64.torrent
```
This will download the torrent and save the files in the Documents folder.

Controlling Download and Upload Speed

You can set limits on the download and upload speeds to manage your bandwidth.

Set Download Speed Limit: Use the -d or --downlimit option followed by the desired speed in kilobytes per second (kB/s). For instance, to limit the download speed to 500 kB/s:
```
transmission-cli -d 500 -w ~/Documents/ Downloads/Linux/ubuntu-23.04-desktop-amd64.torrent
```
Set Upload Speed Limit: Similarly, you can use the -u or --uplimit option to set the upload speed limit.

Additional Commands and Options

Transmission CLI offers several other commands and options that can be useful:

Create Torrents: You can create .torrent files using the transmission-create command.
View Torrent Properties: Use transmission-show to view the properties of a .torrent file.
Edit Torrents: Use transmission-edit to edit .torrent files.
View Documentation: To see more options and commands, type:
```
man transmission-daemon
```
This will display the documentation for Transmission CLI, including all available options and commands.

Monitoring Downloads

You can monitor your downloads in real-time by running Transmission in the foreground.

Run in Foreground: Use the following command to start Transmission in the foreground, allowing you to monitor the download process:
```
transmission-daemon --foreground -c ~/Downloads/
```
This will start the Transmission service in the foreground, and you can watch the program run in the Terminal.

By following these steps, you can efficiently download torrents using the Terminal on your Mac, leveraging the power of Transmission CLI to manage your downloads with minimal system resource usage.