As your already on Linux I'd recommend running qBittorrent with Docker behind gluetun.
This makes it so only qBittorrent is behind the VPN and all other traffic (e.g. browsing, gaming) goes as if there was no VPN.
this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2025
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Definitely will look into Docker more, I've heard of it but hadn't gotten around to giving it a shot before. Gluetun is not something I've heard of though. Sounds like a good setup for what I want. Any suggestions on getting started with Docker?
Use docker compose. Not docker directly. All services have a good docker compose file somewhere online. If not, you may not use the service as a beginner (unless you want to spend a significant time writing everything which is of course good, but you do not have to)
Docker is really cool tech, but not that easy to get it right the first time you run into it. The easy suggestion would probably be some YouTube videos? But the best would be to find your way on the web and follow some written tutorials that gives more details.
Depending on how far and deep you want to go with docker it can range from a simple command you copy/past to more advanced stuff where you add new tools into the image.
My first contact with docker was through Network Chuck's video, while it gives you a first feeling on what it does and how it work at the basic level, it won't give you the keys to host qbitorrent behind gluetun on a raspberry pie, let alone on how to properly configure and protect it.
Thanks for the info, definitely motivated to learn and try Docker more now.
The answer for doing this on your PC is Docker with one of the open source containers built for this. For example this.
If you want a dedicated machine, your Pi would do just fine but you'll have to connect your storage where the downloads are to it. You should still use Docker for that since it's the easiest setup and it would take care of important corner cases such as blocking seed when the VPN is down.
Split tunnels? And your vpn is owned by a sketchy company watch out.
I guess I could've made that part a DDG search :) Thank you for the reminder, it does sound like exactly what I wanted on a little more research.
It’s a pretty good feature. I usually use it for gaming. VPNs and online games don’t always get along. If you torrent a lot, Mullvad might not be the best choice because it doesn’t support port forwarding. IVPN, Proton VPN, and AirVPN are better options.
Yep I was going to fire up a streaming site while torrenting last night, oxymoronic I know, and realized that Netflix or whatever would likely misbehave because of the VPN. Thanks for the other VPN suggestions
If you’re a big torrenter, why not set up a media server? You’ll be amazed at how fast it downloads. My regular torrenting speed is only about 8mbps, but when I’m downloading a whole season of a series, it goes over 22mbps! With the media server automation, you can say goodbye to searching for media torrents. Everything you need is just a click away from a single app.
Can't say I'm familiar with media servers exactly - do you mean Jellyfin, Plex, etc. or something more like adding Arr services. Didn't know speeds could be improved either
Yes. Arr apps usually find the best torrent to download, unlike doing it manually. I will link an easy guide; you can set it up on your pc.
Neat! Thanks
Split tunnels sounds familiar and like what I want.
I plan to switch to mullvad in the future, figure for low stakes stuff I can use up the rest of PIA for now. Thanks for the heads up though
If you want to get in to private trackers at some point, Mullvad isn't an option because they don't support port forwarding. Just a PSA because Mullvad does monthly payments, so you'll be able to switch anytime.
Proton VPN and AirVPN do support port forwarding.
I run a small PC (ProLian Gen10) with a power consumtion of 40W 24/7. What is your upload speed? Are the torrents you want to seed even wanted? If nobody needs to download them, you wont upload much. Does your VPN supports Port forwarding?
A smaller dedicated PC has been something I've been considering, maybe a used laptop even?
Not sure what upload speeds I'm getting but I do have high capacities. Also considering getting into private trackers because I'd like to be maintaining a high ratio.
Sadly my situation is incompatible with port forwarding with any VPN.
incompatible with port forwarding with any VPN
I'm not sure if there is a misunderstanding here, but port forwarding through a VPN is generally agnostic of most network setups. It's a tunnel, doesn't require your network to have port forwarding setup or even for it to be capable of it.
Just meant that being on student housing I am unable to access a router / configure any port forwarding (to my knowledge). PIA's VPN does support port forwarding though.
edit - Sorry, I misread part of your comment. Didn't realize forwarding could be used without router access.
Yup, with PIA the port is random but yes, there should be scripts out there to leverage PIAs forwarding with your torrent software. And yeah, if you were to port forward through your router that could lead to accidentally exposing your actual IP.
Cool I will look into it, I always thought I was stuck not port forwarding due to the campus situation, and therefore stuck with bad upload speeds. In fact that was a reason I was going to use Mullvad in the future despite them not having port forwarding, but I'll have to consider some other suggestions if I can get the port forwards working.
Power is a big factor. I've never built a specifically torrenting machine, but I've added torrenting containers to my virtualized NAS, and for that I've built a server based on an AsRock integrated board, it's passively cooled so it's silent and intrinsically power efficient. They're usually limited in RAM, but I got it up to 32GB by buying verified compatible sticks.
As for building ratio, something like autobrr helps get the torrents as soon as they are announced, improving your uploads, and on trackers where it is supported, seed bonus is nice, you can keep seeding old torrents and convert the points to upload.
Condom.
It also depends on your tracker. I swear all my open tracker seeds are 5.0 plus but many private one’s are barely .10. I think it’s a mix of popularity and port issues.
i have a raspberry pi 4 and it's completely fine running 24/7 with torrents. Granted, with 3MB/s upload it's currently hitting one core at 60% but I use Dietpi which has a nice utility to reduce the CPU priority on qbittorrent if another service needs it.
Plus, you could set up a samba share, store your torrents on the shared drive, and copy them to your Main PC when you need em. Doesnt need to be sophisticated.