yantavares/TR2-P2P

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing application developed in Python

P2P File Sharing System (TR2)

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This repository contains a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing application developed in Python. The system enables users to share and download files in a distributed network. It uses a central tracker to manage active peers and available resources, while file transfers occur directly between peers using TCP connections.

Features

• P2P File Sharing: Share and download files in a distributed environment.
• Central Tracker: Manages the registration and status of active peers, as well as the list of available resources.
• Persistent and Parallel TCP Connections: Supports downloading file blocks in parallel using a persistent TCP connection per peer group, reducing connection overhead.
• File Integrity: Files are divided into fixed-size blocks (1 MB each) and each block is hashed using SHA-256 to ensure data integrity.
• Robust Error Handling: Implements timeouts, retries, and exclusion of unresponsive peers.
• Graphical User Interface: Built with PyQt5, providing an intuitive interface to connect to the network, share and download files, and communicate with peers.
• Incentive Mechanism: A gamification system where users earn experience points (XP) for sharing file blocks. For every block shared, the user gains 1 XP. Once the user accumulates 50 XP, they level up. A higher level increases the number of simultaneous connections allowed (a level 1 user gets up to 4 connections, and each additional level adds one extra connection).

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.x
• PyQt5 library

You can install PyQt5 using pip:

pip install PyQt5

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yantavares/TR2-P2P.git
   cd p2p-file-sharing

2. (Optional) Create and activate a virtual environment:

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate   # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

Usage

1. Run the Tracker:

   Start the tracker:

   python Tracker.py

2. Run a Peer Instance:

   Start the peer application:

   python Peer.py

   The graphical interface will launch. Enter your peer ID and port, then connect to the network. Use the interface to share files, list peers, download files, and send messages.

3. Earning XP and Leveling Up:

   • Share files using the interface. Each file is divided into 1 MB blocks.
   • For each block shared, you gain 1 XP.
   • When you accumulate 50 XP, you level up.
   • Your level is displayed next to your peer ID, and the maximum number of simultaneous connections increases by 1 for each level above 1 (starting at 4 for level 1).

Code Structure

• peer.py: Contains the main Peer class that handles network registration, file sharing, downloading (using persistent connections for multiple blocks), and the XP/level incentive mechanism.
• tracker.py: Contains the Tracker class that manages active peers, resource availability, and handles client requests.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.