View source for MLDonkey

{{Short description|P2P filesharing client}}
{{Infobox software
| name = MLDonkey
| logo = 
| screenshot = 
| caption = 
| developer = 
| released = {{Start date and age|2001}}
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q1063566|P348|P548=Q2804309}}
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q1063566|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}}}
| latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q1063566|P348|P548=Q51930650}}
| latest preview date = {{Start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q1063566|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}}}
| programming language = [[OCaml]], with some [[C (programming language)|C]] and [[Assembly language|assembly]]
| operating system = [[Microsoft Windows]], [[OS X]], [[Unix-like]], [[MorphOS]]
| language = 
| genre = [[Peer-to-peer|P2P]] file sharing
| license = [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| website = {{URL|https://github.com/ygrek/mldonkey}}
}}
'''MLDonkey''' is an [[open-source software|open-source]], multi-protocol, [[peer-to-peer]] [[file sharing]] application that runs as a [[Front and back ends|back-end]] server application on many platforms. It can be controlled through a [[user interface]] provided by one of many separate [[Front and back ends|front-ends]], including a [[Web interface]], [[telnet]] interface and over a dozen [[Native (computing)|native]] client programs.

Originally a [[Linux]] client for the [[EDonkey network|eDonkey]] protocol, it now runs on many flavors of [[Unix-like]], [[OS X]], [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[MorphOS]] and supports numerous peer-to-peer protocols.

It is written in [[OCaml]], with some [[C (programming language)|C]] and some [[Assembly language|assembly]].

== History ==
Development of the software began in late 2001. The original developer of MLDonkey is Fabrice Le Fessant from [[Institut national de recherche en informatique et en automatique|INRIA]]. It was originally conceived as an effort to spread the use of OCaml in the open source community.<ref>{{cite thesis|url=http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/inria-00071789/en/|title=Fabrice Le Fessant; MLdonkey, a Multi-Network Peer-to-Peer File-Sharing Program|year=2003|publisher=INRIA|type=report|last1=Fessant|first1=Fabrice Le|last2=Patarin|first2=Simon}}</ref>

In January 2003, [[Slyck.com]] reported brief friction between MLDonkey developers and the official [[Overnet]] MetaMachine developers, which denounced MLDonkey as a "rogue client", allegedly for incorrect behavior on the network.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mennecke|first=Thomas|url=http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=34|title=Rogue Clients and Overnet|date=January 17, 2003|access-date=January 9, 2010|archive-date=May 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528105535/http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=34|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Versions before 3.0 have a known security vulnerability that allows an attacker with access to the web interface to read any file on the file system.<ref>{{cite web|last=Walker-Morgan|first=DJ|url=http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/MLDonkey-3-0-closes-security-hole-740577.html|title=MLDonkey 3.0 closes security hole|publisher=[[Heinz Heise|H-online]]|date=16 March 2009}}</ref>

== Features ==
Features of MLdonkey core:
* Peer to peer (p2p) program that supports the following network protocols, either partially or completely:
** [[FastTrack]] ([[Kazaa]])
** [[eDonkey network]] (with [[Overnet]] and [[Kad network]])
** [[BitTorrent]] (with [[Mainline DHT]])
** [[Direct Connect (protocol)|Direct Connect]]
** [[HTTP]]/[[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]]
* Multiple control interfaces: telnet, web interface, third party GUIs.

Written in the [[OCaml]] programming language and licensed under the [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]] license, the application separates the user interface (which can be a [[web browser]], [[telnet]], or a third-party [[GUI]] application) and the code that interacts with the peer-to-peer networks.

MLDonkey is able to connect simultaneously to different peers using different network protocols. In addition it can download and merge parts of one file from different network protocols<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mldonkey.sourceforge.net/Merge|title=Latest cores (above 2.5.28) contain an experimental feature: swarming between networks|access-date=2008-06-03|archive-date=2008-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503131951/http://mldonkey.sourceforge.net/Merge|url-status=dead}}</ref> although this feature is currently documented as experimental. MLDonkey runs in a terminal session and does not require a GUI environment, saving memory and processing resources. Behavior is controlled by editable [[configuration file]]s, or—in a more user friendly fashion—from a separate user interface.

From release 2.9.0 (2007) on, support for [[gnutella]] and [[Gnutella2|G2]] are no longer compiled in by default as both plugins are buggy and currently unmaintained;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mldonkey.sourceforge.net/OtherNetworksSupported|title=OtherNetworksSupported - MLDonkey|access-date=2016-11-11|archive-date=2016-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112091741/http://mldonkey.sourceforge.net/OtherNetworksSupported|url-status=dead}}</ref> however, it is still possible to compile them in by making the appropriate setting in the configuration file.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=719769 |title=MLDonkey will no longer compile in Gnutella and G2 support by default |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114231255/http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=719769 |archivedate=2009-01-14 }}</ref>

== Frontends ==
* P2P-GUI (web interface)
* Onager (Palm OS)
* Sancho
* MuleDroid - Interface Android

== See also ==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [[Comparison of eDonkey software]]
* [[Comparison of BitTorrent clients]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
'''General references'''
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite web|last=Kwaśniewski|first=Andrzej|date=November 18, 2005|url=http://www.pcworld.pl/news/85312/P2P.pod.Linuksem.html|title=P2P pod Linuksem|language=Polish|trans-title=P2P in Linux|work=[[PC World (magazine)|PC World]]}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
* {{sourceforge|mldonkey}} 
{{BitTorrent}}
{{EDonkey}}
{{File sharing}}

[[Category:2001 software]]
[[Category:BitTorrent clients for Linux]]
[[Category:Cross-platform software]]
[[Category:DC clients for Linux]]
[[Category:EDonkey Clients for Linux]]
[[Category:File sharing software]]
[[Category:Free BitTorrent clients]]
[[Category:Free file sharing software]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in OCaml]]