Usenet (User Network) is one of the oldest computer network communication systems. It was created in 1979 to exchange files and messages through the UUC (Unix to Unix) protocol. Usenet is similar to an online forum or discussion platform where users can discuss various topics in so-called newsgroups. Nowadays it uses the NNT (network news transfer) protocol, which is much more efficient than UUCP.

These are posted on a worldwide network of servers, called ‘news servers’. It is a platform that also allows its millions of users to save files (called binaries) on the news servers for other members to download.

In the late 90s/early 00s, a site called Newzbin created the NZB file format when they started to index Usenet’s binaries. NZB files are the equivalent of a torrent file for Usenet, meaning they are files that simply point towards the binary downloads on Usenet’s servers, allowing you to download their content.

To access Usenet’s content – including binary downloads – you’ll require three primary components:

• a Usenet provider subscription (which gives you access to the files on Usenet’s servers),
• a Usenet indexer (a search engine to search for content or find NZB files),
• a Usenet client or newsreader (which allows you to view Usenet content and/or download binary files);

References

• https://vpnmentora.pages.dev/posts/what-is-usenet-complete-guide-to-usenet-how-to-use-it-in-2023/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/usenet/comments/8yfve6/how_usenet_works_from_a_noobie_perspective/
• https://nordvpn.com/blog/what-is-usenet/