ruTorrent

Feature-rich PHP web interface for rTorrent

ruTorrent is a powerful PHP-based web frontend for the rTorrent BitTorrent client. It provides a familiar µTorrent-like interface with extensive plugin support, file management, RSS feeds, and real-time monitoring. QuickBox Pro globally installs ruTorrent at /srv/rutorrent with QuickBox-curated plugins, custom themes, and per-user SCGI socket configurations.

Rich Web Interface

µTorrent-inspired UI with drag-and-drop, keyboard shortcuts, and themes

Extensive Plugins

File manager, diskspace, RSS, screenshots, and more out of the box

Real-Time Monitoring

Live torrent status, speeds, peer info, and tracker stats

Multi-User Support

Per-user configs with isolated SCGI socket connections

File Manager

Browse, move, rename, and delete files directly from the web interface

QuickBox Theme

Custom club-QuickBox theme integrated with dashboard

rTorrent Required

ruTorrent is a web interface for rTorrent. If rTorrent is not already installed, ruTorrent will automatically install rTorrent version 0.16.0.

Installation

If rTorrent is not already installed, ruTorrent installs it automatically (version 0.16.0) as its backend.

Install from the Dashboard

Open App Dashboard → Package Management (/dashboard?mode=packages), find ruTorrent in the catalog (browse Download Clients or search), and click Install. The dashboard installs the latest stable release, streams the install log live, and ruTorrent appears in your Application Control panel when it finishes. Reinstall, Update, and Remove are available from the same panel.

What you see and can manage is gated by your account: admins manage any user’s apps; regular users manage their own. For the full package flow see App Management.

Install from the CLI (automation)

The CLI runs the same install and is suited to automation and scripting. It also exposes the edge/beta release via --beta (the Dashboard installs the stable release):


qb install rutorrent -u username

CLI Commands

Command	Description
`qb install rutorrent -u username`	Install ruTorrent with latest stable version
`qb install rutorrent -u username --beta`	Install beta/edge release of ruTorrent
`qb reinstall rutorrent -u username`	Reinstall while preserving QuickBox integration
`qb update rutorrent -u username`	Update ruTorrent to latest stable version
`qb remove rutorrent -u username`	Remove ruTorrent and clean up user configs
`qb help rutorrent`	Display comprehensive help information

CLI Options

-u, --usernameRequired

Supply Admin username for install/remove/update operations

--beta

Install the latest beta/edge release of ruTorrent

Global Installation

ruTorrent is globally installed at /srv/rutorrent and available to all users. Per-user settings are stored in /srv/rutorrent/share/users/username/.

Accessing ruTorrent

After installation, access ruTorrent at:


https://your-server-ip/rutorrent/

QuickBox Dashboard Integration

ruTorrent is automatically integrated into your QuickBox dashboard. Find it in the Service Control panel. Click the LAUNCH icon to open the web interface.

Login credentials:

Username: Your QuickBox username
Password: Your QuickBox password (htpasswd authentication)

Initial Configuration

1. SCGI Socket Connection

QuickBox automatically configures ruTorrent to connect to your rTorrent instance:

Socket: /var/run/username/.rtorrent.sock
Connection method: Unix socket SCGI
Per-user isolation: Each user has their own socket and configuration

Using Flood too?

If you also install Flood for yourself or a user, QuickBox deploys the rtorrent-scgi-shim@username service. The shim binds /var/run/username/.rtorrent.sock and forwards to /var/run/username/.rtorrent-real.sock, ensuring Flood can add torrents reliably while ruTorrent continues using the real socket path /var/run/username/.rtorrent-real.sock. See the Flood docs → Shim details.

2. Enable Plugins

ruTorrent comes with several plugins pre-installed:

Core Plugins:

diskspace - Monitor disk usage and available space
filemanager - Browse, move, rename, and delete files
filemanager-share - Share files via direct links
_cloudflare - Cloudflare integration support
_task - Background task management

Quota-aware diskspace plugin

When the Quotas utility is installed, the diskspace plugin at /srv/rutorrent/plugins/diskspace/action.php is replaced with a quota-aware override. Instead of showing the full filesystem size, it reports each authenticated user’s personal quota total and remaining free space. If a user has no quota set, it falls back to the standard filesystem figures. Install or reinstall Quotas after ruTorrent is present to apply this override.

Enable/Disable Plugins:

Navigate to Settings → Plugins in ruTorrent
Check/uncheck plugins to enable/disable them
Settings are saved per-user automatically

3. Theme Customization

QuickBox Pro uses the club-QuickBox theme by default:

Integrated with QuickBox dashboard design
Dark theme optimized for extended use
Custom color scheme matching QuickBox branding

Change themes via Settings → General → Theme

Service Management

ruTorrent runs as a PHP application served by nginx and PHP-FPM. It communicates with rTorrent via SCGI sockets.


# Check PHP-FPM status
systemctl status php*-fpm
 
# Check nginx status
systemctl status nginx
 
# Restart services
systemctl restart nginx php*-fpm
 
# Check rTorrent status (backend)
systemctl status rtorrent@username

Troubleshooting

ruTorrent Cannot Connect to rTorrent

Symptoms

ruTorrent shows 'Bad response from server' error
Cannot add torrents or view torrent list
Connection to rTorrent failed messages

Resolution

Verify rTorrent is running: systemctl status rtorrent@username
Check socket exists: ls -la /var/run/username/.rtorrent.sock
Restart rTorrent: systemctl restart rtorrent@username
Check ruTorrent config: /srv/rutorrent/conf/users/username/config.php

Plugins Not Working


# Check plugin permissions
ls -la /srv/rutorrent/plugins/
 
# Fix permissions
chown -R www-data:www-data /srv/rutorrent
 
# Restart PHP-FPM
systemctl restart php*-fpm

File Manager Permission Issues


# Fix file permissions for user's torrent directory
qb fix permissions -u username
 
# Ensure www-data can access user files
chmod 755 /home/username
chmod 755 /home/username/torrents

UI Not Loading / Blank Page


# Check PHP-FPM logs
journalctl -u php*-fpm -f
 
# Check nginx logs
tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log
 
# Clear browser cache and reload
# Check for JavaScript errors in browser console

Best Practices

Do

Use qb update rutorrent to keep ruTorrent updated
Clear browser cache after updates for proper plugin loading
Use the filemanager plugin for file operations instead of SSH
Check disk space regularly via the diskspace plugin
Enable only the plugins you need for better performance
Configure RSS filters in ruTorrent for automated downloads
Use label/category features to organize torrents
Monitor rTorrent backend status via systemctl

Don't

Don't manually edit files in /srv/rutorrent without backing up
Don't install untrusted third-party plugins without review
Don't modify per-user SCGI socket configurations manually
Don't delete /srv/rutorrent/share directory—contains user data
Don't mix stable and beta versions across users
Don't ignore PHP-FPM errors—they indicate underlying issues
Don't use ruTorrent as a direct download client connector for `*arr` apps
Don't modify global config.php—use per-user configs instead

Automation Note

*arr applications (Sonarr, Radarr, etc.) connect directly to rTorrent via SCGI, not through ruTorrent. ruTorrent is purely a web interface.

Additional Resources

ruTorrent GitHub Repository

Official ruTorrent source code and documentation

ruTorrent Wiki

Configuration guides and plugin documentation

ruTorrent Plugins

Complete plugin list and configuration

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