Tor circuit selection

1. How are Tor nodes selected?
2. How does Tor choose relays?
3. How do you find the Tor circuit?
4. What is a Tor circuit?
5. How many nodes make up a Tor circuit?
6. Why does Tor use 3 relays?
7. How many relays are in a Tor circuit?
8. Does Tor use UDP or TCP?
9. How often does Tor roll your circuit?
10. What are Tor requirements?
11. What are the different types of Tor nodes?
12. Can I run a Tor relay?
13. How are Tor addresses generated?
14. Can you choose your Tor exit node?
15. Can you get in trouble for running a Tor node?
16. Who manages Tor nodes?
17. Does Tor track IP address?
18. Can you use Tor legally?
19. How many IP addresses does Tor have?

How are Tor nodes selected?

When a Tor client starts up for the first time, it chooses a small, random set of guard nodes. Then, for the next few months, it makes sure that each circuit it constructs uses one of these pre-selected nodes as its guard node. It still chooses new middle and exit nodes for each circuit.

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.

How do you find the Tor circuit?

Just click on the lock icon in the top left corner and you should see the current circuit in the Tor Browser. Once you click on the lock, you should see whether the website you are using has a secure connection or not. You will also see the current circuit being used.

What is a Tor circuit?

A TOR circuit is the combination of entry/guard relay, middle relay and the exit relay. Some transmissions also involve Bridge nodes (Such occurrences are only observed when the known entry and exit nodes are blocked by a certain party like a government or a corporate organization)

How many nodes make up a Tor circuit?

Tor circuits are always 3 nodes. Increasing the length of the circuit does not create better anonymity.

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 relays are in a Tor circuit?

A Tor circuit is made of three relays: The first relay or entry guard. If you configured Tor bridges, one of your bridges is the first relay. The second relay or middle node.

Does Tor use UDP or TCP?

Tor only supports TCP. Non-TCP traffic to the Internet, such as UDP datagrams and ICMP packets, is dropped.

How often does Tor roll your circuit?

Tor will reuse the same circuit for new TCP streams for 10 minutes, as long as the circuit is working fine. (If the circuit fails, Tor will switch to a new circuit immediately.) But note that a single TCP stream (e.g. a long IRC connection) will stay on the same circuit forever.

What are Tor requirements?

It is recommended that a relay have at least 16 Mbit/s (Mbps) upload bandwidth and 16 Mbit/s (Mbps) download bandwidth available for Tor. More is better. The minimum requirements for a relay are 10 Mbit/s (Mbps). If you have less than 10 Mbit/s but at least 1 Mbit/s we recommend you run a bridge with obfs4 support.

What are the different types of Tor nodes?

There are two special types of Tor nodes in any connection: entry nodes, and exit nodes.

Can I run a Tor relay?

While the EFF believes running a Tor "exit node is legal," its Tor Challenge stated, "Exit relays raise special concerns because the traffic that exits from them can be traced back to the relay's IP address." Furthermore, the EFF does not recommend running an exit relay from your home, since it's realistic that someone ...

How are Tor addresses generated?

They are based on a public cryptographic key. So, if you want to have a unique ". onion" address, you need to generate one using the public key. The generated address will be a random string of 16 or 56 characters without any input, depending on which version of the onion service you use.

Can you choose your Tor exit node?

If you want the sites you browse to think you're connecting from a certain location, you can add custom entry and exit nodes to your configuration file.

Can you get in trouble for running a Tor node?

We believe that running a Tor relay, including an exit relay that allows people to anonymously send and receive traffic, is legal under U.S. law. Law enforcement, however, often misunderstands how Tor works and has occasionally attributed illegal traffic on the network as originating from a Tor exit relay.

Who manages Tor nodes?

They are managed by good Internet citizens who believe in the aims of the Tor project. However, even a handful of bad nodes are a threat as exit nodes are periodically changed as you use the Tor network.

Does Tor track IP address?

Although your internet traffic is encrypted on Tor, your ISP can still see that you're connected to Tor. Plus, Tor cannot protect against tracking at the entry and exit nodes of its network. Anyone who owns and operates the entry node will see your real IP address.

Can you use Tor legally?

Tor is legal in the US. You won't likely get in trouble just because you use the Tor browser. However, Tor is not a lawless domain, so you can't use this browser for illegal activities. If you use Tor for buying drugs or weapons, you are held responsible against the law.

How many IP addresses does Tor have?

Tor publishes an official list of exit node IP address. There are fewer than 2000 IPs in that list, so it's not too difficult to check if the connecting IP is a known Tor exit node.