Why Are More and More People No Longer Using eD2k? A Look Back at the Rise and Fall of eMule
Why Are More and More People Abandoning eD2k? A Look Back at the Rise and Fall of eDonkey
If you’ve been around the block in the file-sharing scene, you’re surely familiar with the term “eDonkey” (or “Electric Donkey”). For many, this was once an incredibly popular download tool, using proprietary links starting with “eD2k”. However, in recent years, eDonkey and eD2k have been in steady decline. Veteran sharers are increasingly using Magnet links instead of eD2k.
Many users wonder: while VeryCD (the developer and operator of the Chinese “eDonkey” client) has pivoted away, removing a treasure trove of eD2k resources, why are other sites also moving away from eD2k? eD2k and Magnet links don’t seem all that different in use—both can be downloaded with tools like Xunlei or BitComet. eD2k even had earlier support for offline downloading. So why is everyone distancing themselves from eD2k? Let’s dive into this topic today.
Do You Really Understand “eDonkey” and eD2k?
To talk about eD2k, we first need to understand the history of eDonkey itself. The most well-known “eDonkey” in China—VeryCD’s version—is not the original eDonkey, and it arguably rode on the coattails of the original. The history of eDonkey dates back to 2000, long before VeryCD existed. MetaMachine developed a software called “eDonkey”, which translates to “Electric Donkey” in Chinese—this is the true eDonkey.
Most people are accustomed to treating VeryCD’s eDonkey as a download tool, but it’s important to emphasize that eDonkey was not a download software, and eD2k links were not created for downloading. eDonkey was a file-sharing software that first used eD2k to build the eDonkey network. Any file could generate a corresponding eD2k link, shared with all users on the eDonkey network. Once you shared a file in eDonkey, it would generate an eD2k link, and others could search and download your shared file within the eD2k network.
In 2002, a German developer, dissatisfied with eDonkey’s features, created a third-party open-source client supporting the eD2k protocol—eMule, known as “eMule” (or “Electric Mule” in Chinese). eMule added many new features that eDonkey didn’t support, most notably the KAD network. This fundamentally set eMule apart from eDonkey.
The eDonkey network used by eDonkey, while P2P-based, still relied on central servers.
A group of people using eDonkey for file sharing needed a central server as a communication hub, providing services like file searching. KAD, on the other hand, was a more radical P2P approach, requiring only users as nodes, allowing direct connections between users, completely independent of central servers.
The KAD network was a game-changer for the eD2k protocol. In 2004, eDonkey ceased development due to copyright lawsuits, and the central servers in the eDonkey network became evidence of eDonkey’s involvement in piracy. However, the open-source eMule, which was not involved in commercial activities and supported the KAD network, could attribute shared pirated content to user behavior, thus withstanding pressure from copyright holders. Let’s summarize the relationship between eDonkey, eMule, and eD2k.
- eDonkey: The original eDonkey, commercial software, could share files via the eDonkey network.
- eDonkey Network: A shared network built on P2P technology, but requiring central servers for connections.
- eD2k: The protocol used by the eDonkey network. Files shared on the eDonkey network generate links starting with eD2k.
- eMule: A third-party open-source client for eDonkey, supporting both the eDonkey network and the KAD network.
- KAD Network: A more radical P2P shared network, no central servers needed, interconnected with the eDonkey network, also using the eD2k protocol.
Now, let’s move on to VeryCD’s eDonkey.
VeryCD eDonkey: Driving eD2k’s Popularity in China
When discussing the popularity of eDonkey/eMule in China, VeryCD’s version of “eDonkey” is unavoidable. Many friends know VeryCD, and the vast resources on its site are well-known. However, VeryCD’s site didn’t actually store those massive resources; the resources were actually eD2k links. It must be said that having such a site was incredibly convenient. Searching the eD2k network directly through eMule would yield a tangled mess of resources—you could only search by keywords, and you might end up downloading something completely unrelated.
VeryCD aggregated eD2k resources, building an eD2k sharing platform that once became one of the most visited resource-sharing websites in mainland China. Since it dealt with eD2k resources, VeryCD naturally launched its own client—it would be odd to have a site that required external links to download a client to use its services, right? So, VeryCD took eMule as its base.
As mentioned, eMule is open-source, which gave VeryCD its foundation. VeryCD used eMule’s source code to develop VeryCD’s eDonkey, the version most familiar to Chinese netizens. Compared to eMule, VeryCD’s eDonkey was easier to use, requiring no complex configuration or deep understanding of sharing—it directly linked to VeryCD’s resources, making it wildly popular in China. For a time, VeryCD’s eDonkey was almost a must-install tool, and the popularity of eD2k and “eDonkey” in China reached its peak.
But the good times didn’t last. Starting in 2009, China tightened its grip on online copyright, forcing VeryCD to pivot and remove almost all eD2k shared links. VeryCD’s eDonkey, which relied on the VeryCD site, lost its foundation and naturally faded into history.
However, despite VeryCD’s eDonkey retreating, eMule and eD2k didn’t collapse, as they relied on the eD2k network. As long as people use eMule to share files, the eDonkey and KAD networks would continue to run. In theory, this is a near-perfect P2P resource-sharing architecture. Yet in recent years, the popularity of eD2k links has noticeably declined—eMule’s original client downloads dropped from 700,000 per week five years ago to just over 20,000. On many resource sites, Magnet links or BitTorrent seeds are provided, and eD2k is no longer the mainstream choice for sharers.
In the age of offline downloading, legitimate BT software like μTorrent still has users, but using legitimate eMule to download resources is truly niche. Why is eD2k less popular than BT? Let’s start with their fundamental differences.
Why Do People No Longer Love eD2k?
Although both are just links, eD2k and Magnet links have fundamental differences—eD2k corresponds to eMule, a sharing software, while Magnet links correspond to BT software, a download software. This leads to many fundamental differences in usage.
As mentioned, eMule is essentially a sharing software, and the eD2k protocol was born for sharing. The typical usage flow of legitimate eMule is vastly different from BT. Here’s how it generally works:
After launching eMule, the first thing you do is not download something, but set up a shared directory. All files in that directory are shared in real-time to the eDonkey and KAD networks. Each shared file generates an eD2k link, and anyone with that link can download your shared file. Once someone downloads a file, your eMule client uploads data.
When we use eD2k links to download, the resources come from files shared by others’ eMule clients. Of course, you can leave the shared directory empty, but many eMule clients have queue priority mechanisms—the less you upload, the slower your download speed.
After setting up the shared directory, you need to configure UPnP to get a HighID. In eMule, a HighID allows more direct P2P transfers, improving both upload and download speeds and resource searching. Additionally, to get a good experience in eMule, you need to set up IP filters to block leeching clients, configure a reliable eD2k server update list, and so on. In short, using eMule is quite complex. If you just want to download something quickly, eMule is not for you.
Compared to eD2k, Magnet links based on the BT network are much simpler. BT was born for downloading. As long as someone is downloading or uploading a resource, it can continue to spread. BT clients require no extra configuration—just add a Magnet link and it works. Additionally, eD2k sharing is file-based, while BT tasks can be folder-based. A single Magnet link can download an entire collection of files, something eD2k links cannot do.
In short, eD2k’s characteristics lead to many limitations, as detailed below:
- The legitimate eMule client is complex to configure and hard to learn.
- Once eMule is running, it defaults to continuously uploading shared files. This high-upload traffic is not suitable for China’s narrow upload bandwidth. Some ISPs even block the KAD protocol to reduce upload pressure, rendering eMule useless.
- eMule blocks leeching clients like Xunlei. Clients like Xunlei have leeching mechanisms—they take data from eMule but don’t return data to the eD2k network. Many eMule clients use IP filters to block Xunlei. Many people find that Xunlei can’t download eD2k links, so they gradually stop using eD2k links.
- HighID is increasingly hard to obtain. In eMule, a HighID provides faster speeds, but it requires a public IP. ISPs now commonly provide users with private IPs, limiting eMule’s transfer efficiency.
- One eD2k link can only download one file. In contrast, one BT task can download multiple files. When downloading a resource collection, one Magnet link is far more convenient than a list of eD2k links.
Additionally, eMule’s true purpose is sharing, but few Chinese users realize this. When people see an eD2k link, their first reaction is to use tools like Xunlei to download, which inadvertently damages the eD2k network’s sharing ecosystem. For various reasons, while eD2k still has users, its popularity is far behind Magnet links.
From a technical perspective, the eD2k protocol is more advanced than Magnet links. The eD2k network not only supports file sharing but also resource searching, communication, and other functions. It’s an ideal P2P network that can exist independently of HTTP, embodying the spirit of “everyone for me, and I for everyone.”
However, eMule’s complex configuration scares many away. Without VeryCD’s push, eD2k is increasingly fading from mainstream netizens’ view. Perhaps with more user-friendly clients and further network bandwidth development in the future, eD2k could make a comeback.
[This article is reproduced from Pacific Computer Network]