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ruTorrent

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

Symptoms

  • QuickBox Pro v3 installed and configured
  • User account created on the server
  • rTorrent installed or will be auto-installed

Resolution

  • Use QuickBox's qb command for installation
  • Automatic rTorrent installation if not present
  • Per-user configuration with isolated SCGI sockets

Basic Installation

Install ruTorrent for a specific user:

qb install rutorrent -u username

CLI Commands

CommandDescription
qb install rutorrent -u usernameInstall ruTorrent with latest stable version
qb install rutorrent -u username --betaInstall beta/edge release of ruTorrent
qb reinstall rutorrent -u usernameReinstall while preserving QuickBox integration
qb update rutorrent -u usernameUpdate ruTorrent to latest stable version
qb remove rutorrent -u usernameRemove ruTorrent and clean up user configs
qb help rutorrentDisplay 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

Enable/Disable Plugins:

  1. Navigate to Settings → Plugins in ruTorrent
  2. Check/uncheck plugins to enable/disable them
  3. 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

Use Cases

Web-Based rTorrent Management

  • Full-featured web interface for rTorrent
  • Manage torrents without SSH access
  • Monitor downloads, uploads, and ratios in real-time

File Management and Organization

  • Built-in file manager for browsing downloaded files
  • Move, rename, and delete files directly from web interface
  • Share files via direct links with filemanager-share plugin

Multi-User Torrent Server

  • Global installation with per-user isolation
  • Each user has their own rTorrent instance and configuration
  • Independent torrent management for multiple users
🔧

Backend

rTorrent ⭐
🎬

Media Management

Sonarr ⭐Radarr ⭐LidarrReadarr
🔍

Indexers

Prowlarr ⭐Jackett
⬇️

Alternative Clients

FloodqBittorrentDeluge

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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