Bram Cohen

Bram Cohen is an American computer programmer who created the BitTorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing protocol and co-founded Chia Network.

Peer-to-peer: A network model in which computers communicate and share resources directly, rather than relying solely on central servers. BitTorrent distributes file transfer among participating peers instead of depending on one central source.
BitTorrent: A peer-to-peer protocol for distributing files by having users exchange pieces of a shared file. Cohen created this protocol to make file distribution scalable across participating users.
BitTorrent (protocol): A peer-to-peer protocol for distributing files in pieces among users. Cohen designed the protocol and introduced its first implementation in 2001.
Peer-to-peer file sharing: The exchange of digital files directly among networked users rather than through a single distributing server. BitTorrent became one of the most prominent systems for distributing files through this model.
Distributed computing: The coordination of computation across multiple networked computers. BitTorrent and Chia both depend on work performed across independently operated machines.
Tit-for-tat: A strategy that cooperates with partners that reciprocate and withholds cooperation from those that do not. BitTorrent’s upload-choking strategy rewards peers that contribute data in return.
BitTorrent (company): A company formed to develop products and services based on the BitTorrent protocol. Cohen founded the company after creating the protocol, extending his work into commercial software.
Content delivery network: A distributed system of servers that delivers digital content from locations near its users. BitTorrent distributes delivery work among users, unlike conventional networks of centrally managed servers.
Cryptographic hash function: A function that maps data of any size to a fixed-size output designed to resist collisions and reversal. Hashing helps identify pieces of BitTorrent files and underpins Chia’s proof-of-space mechanism.
Piece selection: The process of choosing which parts of a file a peer should request next during a transfer. BitTorrent’s rarest-first strategy helps keep scarce file pieces circulating through the swarm.

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Guido van RossumRelated: Van Rossum worked with Cohen at Dropbox, where he helped improve Python’s performance.