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I'm the author of https://github.com/anacrolix/torrent (started in 2013) and https://github.com/anacrolix/dht (started in 2015). I have a DHT indexer implementation I developed in 2021. It's currently closed source but available for use as part of https://www.coveapp.info/. I have found that after several hours the search is excellent and stays up to date with ease.

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Some of the features in your screenshots look interesting, but why is Cove closed source?

Mainly because I am not ready to share my DHT indexing implementation. It's the culmination of years of working with BitTorrent and DHTs and I'd like to get something back for it one day. However I do dogfood Cove and want people to have that experience too.

I would think the only thing you would get out of such work is a sternly worded cease and desist from a big entity so you might as well open-source this and let somebody else take the torch in case you are shut down.

I mean I'd use such software (and huge DBs like that of Skytorrentz) for research purposes because to me distribution is hugely interesting as a hobby but many courts won't see it that way, and we know a lot of them are influenced by copyrights holders.

Thanks for your insight!

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