How do Hidden Services get .onion domains that aren't random?

1. How do .onion domains work?
2. How are onion addresses generated?
3. Why are onion domains so long?
4. Are onion domains free?
5. What is v3 onion?

How do .onion domains work?

onion" addresses are URLs that are not listed in the public DNS record like those on the surface web. They are cryptographic hashes based on public keys. Whenever you want to connect to an onion service, the Tor network takes the cryptographic hash, decrypts it using the public key, and connects to the service.

How are onion addresses generated?

Format. Addresses in the onion TLD are generally opaque, non-mnemonic, alpha-numerical strings which are automatically generated based on a public key when an onion service is configured. They are 16 characters long for V2 onion services and 56 characters long for V3 onion services.

Why are onion domains so long?

The address is so long because it is the public key, not just the hash like it is with standard V2 Onion Addresses.

Are onion domains free?

onion domain is not only free (they are automatically generated by Tor), but it is simple once you have completed the basic server installation procedure. If you are not familiar with servers find a friend or a tech whiz who can walk you through it.

What is v3 onion?

Onion v3 is the new next-generation Tor Onion Services specification. The most noticable change is the increase in address length, however Onion v3 uses better cryptography, ECC (eliptic curve cryptography) rather than RSA, and has an improved hidden service directory protocol.