tor

Anonymizing onion routing network daemon

TLDR

Start Tor client

$ tor

Use specific configuration file

$ tor -f /etc/tor/torrc

Verify configuration syntax

$ tor --verify-config

Generate hashed password for control port

$ tor --hash-password mypassword

Display version information

$ tor --version

tor is a connection-oriented anonymizing communication service. Users establish source-routed paths through a distributed network of relays where each node only knows its neighboring nodes, not the full path. This enables anonymous TCP stream routing for web browsing, FTP, SSH, and other services.

PARAMETERS

-h, --help

Display help message and exit

-f, --torrc-file FILE

Specify configuration file location

--verify-config

Verify configuration file syntax and exit

--hash-password PASSWORD

Generate hashed control port password

--version

Display version information

--keygen

Generate ed25519 master identity key for relays

--list-fingerprint

Generate keys and output fingerprint

--quiet

Only log errors during startup

CONFIGURATION

/etc/tor/torrc

Main configuration file specifying SOCKS port, relay settings, hidden services, bridge configuration, and logging options.

-f file

Use an alternate configuration file at runtime.

INSTALL

sudo apt install tor

sudo dnf install tor

sudo pacman -S tor

sudo apk add tor

sudo zypper install tor

brew install tor

nix profile install nixpkgs#tor

CAVEATS

By default, Tor runs as a client-only service. The SOCKS protocol is unencrypted and unauthenticated, so exposing it to untrusted networks could leak information. Configuration files use "OptionName OptionValue" format while command-line uses "--OptionName OptionValue" format.

HISTORY

tor is "The Onion Router," a second-generation anonymity network originally developed by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and now maintained by The Tor Project.

tor