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Net-BitTorrent-v2.0.1
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/ Net::BitTorrent::Protocol::BEP23

NAME

Net::BitTorrent::Protocol::BEP23 - Compact Peer Lists (IPv4 and IPv6)

SYNOPSIS

use Net::BitTorrent::Protocol::BEP23;

# Pack a list of peers for a tracker response or PEX update
my $packed = Net::BitTorrent::Protocol::BEP23::pack_peers_ipv4(
    { ip => '1.2.3.4', port => 6881 },
    { ip => '5.6.7.8', port => 6882 }
);

# Unpack a compact list from a tracker
my $peers = Net::BitTorrent::Protocol::BEP23::unpack_peers_ipv4($binary_data);
for my $p (@$peers) {
    say "Found peer at $p->{ip}:$p->{port}";
}

DESCRIPTION

Net::BitTorrent::Protocol::BEP23 implements the compact binary representation of peer addresses used throughout the BitTorrent ecosystem. By avoiding bencoding for large peer lists, this format significantly reduces the bandwidth required for tracker announces and Peer Exchange (PEX).

This module implements the compact peer list format defined in BEP 23 (IPv4) and BEP 07 (IPv6).

FUNCTIONS

pack_peers_ipv4( @peers )

Packs a list of IPv4 peers into a binary string.

my $raw = Net::BitTorrent::Protocol::BEP23::pack_peers_ipv4( @peers );

This method converts a list of peer structures into a 6-byte-per-peer compact binary string.

Expected parameters:

@peers

A list of hash references, each containing ip (dotted quad) and port (integer).

unpack_peers_ipv4( $data )

Unpacks a binary string of IPv4 peers.

my $peers = Net::BitTorrent::Protocol::BEP23::unpack_peers_ipv4( $raw );

This method converts a 6-byte-per-peer binary string into an array reference of peer structures.

Expected parameters:

$data

The binary string containing packed IPv4 addresses and ports.

pack_peers_ipv6( @peers )

Packs a list of IPv6 peers into a binary string.

my $raw = Net::BitTorrent::Protocol::BEP23::pack_peers_ipv6( @peers );

This method converts a list of peer structures into an 18-byte-per-peer compact binary string (BEP 07).

Expected parameters:

@peers

A list of hash references with ip (IPv6 string) and port (integer).

unpack_peers_ipv6( $data )

Unpacks a binary string of IPv6 peers.

my $peers = Net::BitTorrent::Protocol::BEP23::unpack_peers_ipv6( $raw );

This method converts an 18-byte-per-peer binary string into an array reference of peer structures.

Expected parameters:

$data

The binary string of packed IPv6 addresses.

SPECIFICATIONS

  • BEP 23: Tracker Returns Compact Peer Lists

  • BEP 07: IPv6 Support (Compact Format)

AUTHOR

Sanko Robinson <sanko@cpan.org>

COPYRIGHT

Copyright (C) 2008-2026 by Sanko Robinson.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the Artistic License 2.0.