.onion
Encyclopedia
.onion is a pseudo-top-level domain host suffix (similar in concept to such endings as .bitnet
and .uucp
used in earlier times) designating an anonymous hidden service reachable via the Tor
network. Such addresses are not actual DNS names, and the .onion TLD is not in the Internet DNS root, but with the appropriate proxy software installed, Internet programs such as Web browser
s can access sites with .onion addresses by sending the request through the network of Tor servers. The purpose of using such a system is to make both the information provider and the person accessing the information more difficult to trace, whether by one another, by an intermediate network host, or by an outsider.
Addresses in the .onion pseudo-TLD are opaque, non-mnemonic, 16-character alpha-semi-numeric hashes which are automatically generated based on a public key when a hidden service is configured. These 16-character hashes can be made up of any letter of the alphabet, and decimal digits beginning with 2 and ending with 7, thus representing an 80-bit number in base32.
The "onion" name refers to onion routing
, the technique used by Tor to achieve a degree of anonymity
.
For examplehttp://eqt5g4fuenphqinx.onion/ would become https://eqt5g4fuenphqinx.tor2web.org/ .
Using a proxy server of this kind decreases the level of security in comparison to using Tor by having it installed on the computer.
users to indicate on the fly to the Tor software the preferred exit node that should be used while connecting to a service such as a web server
, without having to edit the configuration file for Tor (torrc)
The syntax used with this domain is hostname + .exitnode + .exit, so that a user wanting to connect tohttp://www.torproject.org/ through node tor26 would have to enter the URL http://www.torproject.org.tor26.exit .
Example uses for this include accessing a site available only to addresses of a certain country or checking if a certain node is working.
Users can also type exitnode.exit alone to access the IP address of exitnode
.bitnet
.bitnet was a pseudo-domain-style suffix used in the late 1980s when identifying a hostname not connected directly to the Internet but possibly reachable through inter-network gateways. In this case, it indicated that the hostname preceding it was reachable via the BITNET network...
and .uucp
.uucp
The name uucp was a pseudo-domain-style suffix used in the 1980s when identifying a hostname not connected directly to the Internet, but possibly reachable through other inter-network gateways...
used in earlier times) designating an anonymous hidden service reachable via the Tor
Tor (anonymity network)
Tor is a system intended to enable online anonymity. Tor client software routes Internet traffic through a worldwide volunteer network of servers in order to conceal a user's location or usage from someone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis...
network. Such addresses are not actual DNS names, and the .onion TLD is not in the Internet DNS root, but with the appropriate proxy software installed, Internet programs such as Web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
s can access sites with .onion addresses by sending the request through the network of Tor servers. The purpose of using such a system is to make both the information provider and the person accessing the information more difficult to trace, whether by one another, by an intermediate network host, or by an outsider.
Addresses in the .onion pseudo-TLD are opaque, non-mnemonic, 16-character alpha-semi-numeric hashes which are automatically generated based on a public key when a hidden service is configured. These 16-character hashes can be made up of any letter of the alphabet, and decimal digits beginning with 2 and ending with 7, thus representing an 80-bit number in base32.
The "onion" name refers to onion routing
Onion routing
Onion routing is a technique for anonymous communication over a computer network. Messages are repeatedly encrypted and then sent through several network nodes called onion routers. Like someone unpeeling an onion, each onion router removes a layer of encryption to uncover routing instructions, and...
, the technique used by Tor to achieve a degree of anonymity
Anonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
.
WWW to .onion proxies
Proxies into the TOR network allow accessing dynamically routed services from non-TOR browsers.tor2web
Allows access using a non-TOR browser by changing the domain suffix .onion of any hidden service host to .tor2web.org. The protocol prefix http:// can also be changed into https:// to use an encrypted connection to the tor2web proxy server in order to provide additional privacy.For example
Using a proxy server of this kind decreases the level of security in comparison to using Tor by having it installed on the computer.
.exit
.exit is a pseudo-top-level domain used by TorTor (anonymity network)
Tor is a system intended to enable online anonymity. Tor client software routes Internet traffic through a worldwide volunteer network of servers in order to conceal a user's location or usage from someone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis...
users to indicate on the fly to the Tor software the preferred exit node that should be used while connecting to a service such as a web server
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
, without having to edit the configuration file for Tor (torrc)
The syntax used with this domain is hostname + .exitnode + .exit, so that a user wanting to connect to
Example uses for this include accessing a site available only to addresses of a certain country or checking if a certain node is working.
Users can also type exitnode.exit alone to access the IP address of exitnode
Examples of .onion sites
(Tor is required to access the sites)- Core.onion, one long-standing introductory hub to the web of onions
- InspecTor / ExcludeNodes generator, tab-keeping on glitchy or spurious exit nodes (down because it was hosted on Freedom Hosting, see below)
- Freedom Hosting, free hidden web hosting with PHP and MySQL. During October 2011, hacktivist collective Anonymous downed the servers of Freedom Hosting as part of OpDarknet, a campaign against child pornography. AnonymousAnonymous (group)Anonymous is an international hacking group, spread through the Internet, initiating active civil disobedience, while attempting to maintain anonymity. Originating in 2003 on the imageboard 4chan, the term refers to the concept of many online community users simultaneously existing as an anarchic,...
stated in media releases that Freedom Hosting had refused to remove such sites as "Lolita City" and "Hard Candy," which it found to contain 100 GB of child porn. Anonymous released 1500 user names from these sites and invited the FBI and Interpol to follow up. - The Tor Library, small library of books in PDF and other common formats
- talk.masked, an anon-post board
- SquareBoard - Random, publicly browseable, image upload
- TorStatusNet, StatusNet on tor (twitter-like clone).