How To Install Cloud-Torrent Docker Application To Google Cloud?

Installing Cloud-Torrent on Google Cloud

Cloud-Torrent is a self-hosted remote torrent client that runs in your browser. This guide will walk you through deploying it on Google Cloud using Docker.

Prerequisites

  • Google Cloud account with billing enabled
  • Basic knowledge of Linux terminal commands
  • SSH client installed on your local machine

Step 1: Create a Google Cloud Instance

  1. Go to the Google Cloud Console
  2. Navigate to Compute Engine > VM instances
  3. Click Create Instance
  4. Configure your instance:
    • Name: cloud-torrent-server
    • Region: Choose closest to your location
    • Machine type: e2-medium (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM)
    • Boot disk: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (20GB)
  5. Under Firewall, check:
    • Allow HTTP traffic
    • Allow HTTPS traffic
  6. Click Create

Step 2: Configure Firewall Rules

Create a firewall rule to allow Cloud-Torrent’s default port:

  1. Go to VPC Network > Firewall
  2. Click Create Firewall Rule
  3. Configure:
    • Name: allow-cloud-torrent
    • Targets: All instances in the network
    • Source IP ranges: 0.0.0.0/0
    • Protocols and ports: tcp:3000
  4. Click Create

Step 3: Connect to Your Instance

Use SSH to connect to your instance:

gcloud compute ssh cloud-torrent-server --zone=YOUR_ZONE

Step 4: Install Docker

Update the package list and install Docker:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker.io
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Log out and back in for group changes to take effect.

Step 5: Deploy Cloud-Torrent

Run the Cloud-Torrent container:

docker run -d \
  --name cloud-torrent \
  --restart=always \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v /home/$USER/downloads:/downloads \
  jpillora/cloud-torrent

Optional: Configure Authentication

To add password protection:

docker run -d \
  --name cloud-torrent \
  --restart=always \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v /home/$USER/downloads:/downloads \
  jpillora/cloud-torrent --auth "username:password"

Step 6: Access Cloud-Torrent

  1. Find your instance’s external IP in the Google Cloud Console
  2. Open your browser and navigate to: http://YOUR_EXTERNAL_IP:3000
  3. You should see the Cloud-Torrent interface

Downloading Torrents

  1. Paste a magnet link or upload a .torrent file
  2. Cloud-Torrent will start downloading to the /downloads directory
  3. Access downloaded files via SSH or configure a file server

Maintenance Tips

Checking Container Status

docker ps -a

Viewing Logs

docker logs cloud-torrent

Restarting the Container

docker restart cloud-torrent

Updating Cloud-Torrent

docker stop cloud-torrent
docker rm cloud-torrent
docker pull jpillora/cloud-torrent
# Run the docker run command again

Cost Considerations

  • Google Cloud offers $300 in free credits for new users
  • After credits expire, an e2-medium instance costs approximately $24/month
  • Consider using preemptible instances to reduce costs

Security Recommendations

  1. Use strong authentication: Always set a strong username and password
  2. Enable HTTPS: Use a reverse proxy like Caddy or nginx with Let’s Encrypt
  3. Restrict access: Limit firewall rules to your IP address
  4. Regular updates: Keep Docker and Cloud-Torrent updated

Troubleshooting

Cannot Access Web Interface

  • Verify firewall rules are correctly configured
  • Check if Docker container is running: docker ps
  • Ensure port 3000 is not blocked by Google Cloud firewall

Downloads Not Working

  • Check available disk space: df -h
  • Verify the downloads directory permissions
  • Review container logs for errors

Conclusion

You now have a fully functional Cloud-Torrent instance running on Google Cloud. This setup provides a convenient way to download torrents remotely and access them from anywhere.