A high-performance BitTorrent search program for desktop and server. It collects and indexes torrents from the DHT network, allowing powerful full-text search through torrent statistics and categories. Works over an encrypted P2P network and supports Windows, Linux, and macOS platforms.
- Works over P2P torrent network, doesn't require any trackers
- DHT crawling and automatic torrent indexing
- Full-text search over torrent collection (powered by Manticore Search)
- Torrent and files search
- Search filters (size ranges, files, seeders, etc.)
- Collection filters (regex filters, adult filters)
- Tracker peers scan support
- Collects only statistical information and doesn't save any internal torrent data
- Supports its own P2P protocol for additional data transfer (search between Rats clients, descriptions/votes transfer, etc.)
- End-to-end encryption with Noise Protocol (Curve25519 + ChaCha20-Poly1305)
- P2P Search protocol: Search in other Rats clients with encrypted communication
- BitTorrent Mainline DHT compatible (millions of nodes)
- mDNS Discovery for automatic local network peer discovery
- NAT Traversal with STUN/ICE support for connecting through firewalls
- GossipSub messaging for scalable publish-subscribe protocol
- Supports torrent rating (voting)
- Description association from trackers
- Top list (most common and popular torrents)
- Feed list (Rats clients activity feed)
- Integrated torrent client for downloading
- Drag and drop torrents (expand local search database with specific torrents)
- Torrent generation and automatic adding to search database
- Native C++/Qt application — fast, responsive, and lightweight
- Modern dark UI with customizable settings
- System tray support with minimize/close to tray
- Translations: English, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, Hindi
- Console mode for headless server operation
- REST & WebSocket API for custom clients and integrations
Rats Search is built on librats — a high-performance P2P networking library providing:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| BitTorrent Mainline DHT | Compatible with the largest distributed hash table network (millions of nodes) |
| mDNS Discovery | Automatic local network peer discovery without internet |
| NAT Traversal | STUN/ICE support for connecting through firewalls and NAT |
| Noise Protocol Encryption | End-to-end encryption with Curve25519 + ChaCha20-Poly1305 |
| GossipSub Messaging | Scalable publish-subscribe protocol for P2P communication |
| Thread-safe Design | Modern C++17 concurrency with minimal overhead |
⬇️ Download the latest release for Windows, Linux, or macOS.
| Platform | Package |
|---|---|
| Windows | RatsSearch-Windows-x64.zip |
| Linux | RatsSearch-Linux-x64.AppImage or .tar.gz |
| macOS Intel | RatsSearch-macOS-Intel.zip |
| macOS ARM | RatsSearch-macOS-ARM.zip |
- CMake 3.16+
- Qt 6.9+ (with WebSockets module)
- C++17 compatible compiler (MSVC, GCC, or Clang)
- Ninja (recommended) or Make
Clone the repository with submodules:
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/DEgITx/rats-search.git
cd rats-searchConfigure and build:
cmake -B build -G "Ninja" -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build --config ReleaseThe executable will be in build/bin/.
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
RATS_SEARCH_BUILD_TESTS |
ON | Build unit tests |
RATS_SEARCH_USE_SYSTEM_LIBRATS |
OFF | Use system-installed librats |
Simply run the executable:
./RatsSearchCommand line options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-p, --port <port> |
P2P listen port (overrides config setting) |
-d, --dht-port <port> |
DHT port (overrides config setting) |
--data-dir <path> |
Data directory for database and config |
-h, --help |
Display help |
-v, --version |
Display version |
For servers without a display, use console mode:
./RatsSearch --consoleConsole mode options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-c, --console |
Run in console mode (no GUI) |
-p, --port <port> |
P2P listen port (overrides config setting) |
-d, --dht-port <port> |
DHT port (overrides config setting) |
--data-dir <path> |
Data directory for database and config |
-s, --spider |
Enable torrent spider (disabled by default in console mode) |
-m, --max-peers <n> |
Maximum P2P connections (overrides config, range: 10-1000) |
Interactive commands in console mode:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
stats |
Show statistics (torrents, files, peers, DHT nodes) |
search <query> |
Search torrents by name |
recent [n] |
Show n recent torrents (default: 10) |
top [type] |
Show top torrents by type |
spider start |
Start the DHT spider |
spider stop |
Stop the DHT spider |
peers [n] |
Show or set max P2P connections (10-1000) |
help |
Show available commands |
quit / exit |
Exit the application |
Example console session:
# Start with spider enabled
./RatsSearch --console --spider --data-dir /var/lib/rats-search
# Or start with custom ports
./RatsSearch -c -p 4445 -d 4446 -sAfter first launch, a configuration file rats.json will be created in the data directory:
{
"p2pPort": 4445,
"dhtPort": 4446,
"httpPort": 8095,
"restApiEnabled": true,
"indexerEnabled": true,
"darkMode": true
}| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
p2pPort |
Port for P2P communication (TCP/UDP) |
dhtPort |
Port for DHT operations (UDP) |
httpPort |
Port for REST API server |
restApiEnabled |
Enable/disable REST API |
indexerEnabled |
Enable/disable DHT indexer |
Rats Search includes a built-in REST API server for integrations and custom clients.
We welcome all contributions: bug fixes, improvements, code refactoring, and other enhancements.
Run Rats Search in a container (console mode, no GUI):
docker build -t rats-search .
docker run -d -p 8095:8095 -v rats-data:/data rats-searchThe default command starts the spider with 30 max P2P peers. Override as needed:
docker run -d \
-p 8095:8095 \
-v rats-data:/data \
rats-search \
/app/RatsSearch --console --spider --max-peers 100 --data-dir /data| Port / Volume | Description |
|---|---|
8095 |
HTTP REST API (enable restApi in /data/rats.json) |
/data |
Persistent storage for database, config, and logs |
The previous Electron-based version is preserved in the legacy/ folder for reference and for running the web server interface.
cd legacy
npm install --force
npm run buildweb
npm run serverAccess the web interface at: http://localhost:8095
Bitcoin: bc1qsm5akf0gf2jnnxvjpf6nn3cd2p29yt3svxva3g
Subscribe to autor (GitHub donations): https://github.com/sponsors/DEgITx
- Discord Community
- GitHub Issues
- Twitter/X: @RatsSearch
MIT License © 2026
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