File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multi-media (audio, video), documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented in a variety of storage, transmission, and distribution models. Common methods are manual sharing using removable media, centralized computer file server installations on computer networks, World Wide Web-based hyperlinked documents, and the use of distributed peer-to-peer (P2P) networking.
The increasing popularity of the mp3 music format in the late 1990s led to the release and growth of Napster and other software designed to aid in the sharing of electronic files. Other popular networks include Gnutella, eDonkey2000, the now-defunct Kazaa network, and BitTorrent.
