in computing and specifically peer-to-peer file sharing, seeding is the uploading of already downloaded content for others to download from. a peer, a computer that is connected to the network, becomes a seed when having acquired the entire set of data it tries to download. this data consists of small parts so that seeds can effectively share their content with other peers, handing out the missing pieces. a peer deliberately chooses to become a seed by leaving the upload task active when content is downloaded. this means that there should be motivation to seed. the opposite of a seed is a leech, a peer that downloads more than they upload.