How many tor relays are there

There are three kinds of relays that you can run in order to help the Tor network: middle relays, exit relays, and bridges.

1. Why does Tor use 3 relays?
2. How many Tor nodes are there in the world?
3. How many Tor nodes are compromised?
4. How does Tor choose relays?

Why does Tor use 3 relays?

Tor uses only three relays by default because that's the bare minimum you need for safety. You can always use more…at a price. One would be pointless, since whoever operates that node you chose will see everything. Two is dangerous, because the entry and exit nodes would then be directly connected.

How many Tor nodes are there in the world?

Currently, there are eight directory authority nodes, and their health is publicly monitored. The IP addresses of the authority nodes are hard coded into each Tor client. The authority nodes vote every hour to update the consensus, and clients download the most recent consensus on startup.

How many Tor nodes are compromised?

Malicious parties can monitor data at the exit node

This may have been the case in 2021 when an unknown entity had compromised 900 Tor network nodes .

How does Tor choose relays?

Tor chooses an exit relay which actually allows you to exit the Tor network. Some only allow web traffic (port 80) which is not useful when someone wants to send emails. The exit relay has to have available capacities. Tor tries to choose such exits which have enough ressources available.