Tor Hidden Services — How to Create & Access .onion Sites

Tor Hidden Services (.onion Sites)

Hidden services allow websites to operate completely anonymously. Neither the server nor the client knows each other's IP.

How .onion Addresses Work

A .onion address is a hash of the hidden service's public key. Example: facebookwkhpilnemxj7asaniu7vnjjbiltxjqhye3mhbshg7kx5tfyd.onion

The Connection Process

1. Hidden service generates a public key → creates .onion address
2. Chooses random Tor relays as "Introduction Points"
3. Publishes introduction points to Tor directory
4. Client connects to an introduction point
5. Service and client agree on a "Rendezvous Point"
6. Communication flows through the rendezvous — both sides anonymous

Setting Up a Hidden Service (Educational)

# /etc/tor/torrc
HiddenServiceDir /var/lib/tor/my-service/
HiddenServicePort 80 127.0.0.1:80

# Restart Tor
sudo systemctl restart tor

# Your .onion address
cat /var/lib/tor/my-service/hostname

Legitimate Uses of Hidden Services

• 🟢 ProtonMail: Encrypted email via Tor
• 🟢 Facebook: Official .onion mirror for censored countries
• 🟢 BBC News: .onion for journalists in oppressive regimes
• 🟢 SecureDrop: Whistleblower platform (used by NYT, WaPo)
• 🟢 DuckDuckGo: Private search engine

Security Considerations

• ⚠️ .onion doesn't mean illegal — many legitimate uses
• ⚠️ Tor provides anonymity, not invincibility
• ⚠️ Operational security (OPSEC) mistakes catch most criminals

🔥 Understand network anonymity at ONLY4YOU →