subtitle: Relays are the backbone of the Tor network. Help make Tor stronger and faster by running a relay today.
---
cta: Grow the Tor network
---
key: 1
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html: relay-operations.html
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body:
The Tor network relies on volunteers to donate bandwidth. The more people who run relays, the better the Tor network will be. The current Tor network is quite small compared to the number of people who need to use Tor, which means we need more dedicated volunteers like you to run relays.
By running a Tor relay you can help make the Tor network:
* faster (and therefore more usable)
* more robust against attacks
* more stable in case of outages
* safer for its users (spying on more relays is harder than on a few)
Running a relay requires technical skill and commitment, which is why we've created a wealth of resources to help our relay operators. The best resource of all is the active community of relay operators on tor-relays@lists.torproject.org and on IRC in #tor-relays.
subtitle: Relays are the backbone of the Tor network. Help make Tor stronger and faster by running a relay today.
---
cta: Grow the Tor network
---
key: 1
---
html: relay-operations.html
---
body:
The Tor network relies on volunteers to donate bandwidth. The more people who run relays, the better the Tor network will be. The current Tor network is quite small compared to the number of people who need to use Tor, which means we need more dedicated volunteers like you to run relays.
By running a Tor relay you can help make the Tor network:
* faster (and therefore more usable)
* more robust against attacks
* more stable in case of outages
* safer for its users (spying on more relays is harder than on a few)
Running a relay requires technical skill and commitment, which is why we've created a wealth of resources to help our relay operators. The best resource of all is the active community of relay operators on tor-relays@lists.torproject.org and on IRC in #tor-relays.
subtitle: Relays are the backbone of the Tor network. Help make Tor stronger and faster by running a relay today.
---
cta: Grow the Tor network
---
key: 1
---
html: relay-operations.html
---
body:
The Tor network relies on volunteers to donate bandwidth. The more people who run relays, the better the Tor network will be. The current Tor network is quite small compared to the number of people who need to use Tor, which means we need more dedicated volunteers like you to run relays.
By running a Tor relay you can help make the Tor network:
* faster (and therefore more usable)
* more robust against attacks
* more stable in case of outages
* safer for its users (spying on more relays is harder than on a few)
Running a relay requires technical skill and commitment, which is why we've created a wealth of resources to help our relay operators. The best resource of all is the active community of relay operators on tor-relays@lists.torproject.org and on IRC in #tor-relays.
The Tor network relies on volunteers to donate bandwidth. The more people who run relays, the better the Tor network will be. The current Tor network is quite small compared to the number of people who need to use Tor, which means we need more dedicated volunteers like you to run relays.
The Tor network relies on volunteers to donate bandwidth.
The more people who run relays, the better the Tor network will be.
The current Tor network is quite small compared to the number of people who need to use Tor, which means we need more dedicated volunteers like you to run relays.
By running a Tor relay you can help make the Tor network:
...
...
@@ -27,4 +29,5 @@ By running a Tor relay you can help make the Tor network:
* more stable in case of outages
* safer for its users (spying on more relays is harder than on a few)
Running a relay requires technical skill and commitment, which is why we've created a wealth of resources to help our relay operators. The best resource of all is the active community of relay operators on tor-relays@lists.torproject.org and on IRC in #tor-relays.
Running a relay requires technical skill and commitment, which is why we've created a wealth of resources to help our relay operators.
The best resource of all is the active community of relay operators on tor-relays@lists.torproject.org and on IRC in #tor-relays.
If you do not know your bandwidth you can use http://beta.speedtest.net to
measure it.
A non-exit relay should be able to handle at least 7000 concurrent connections.
This can overwhelm consumer-level routers. If you run the Tor relay from a server (virtual or dedicated) in a data center you will be fine.
If you run it behind a consumer-level router at home you will have to try and see if your home router can handle it or if it starts failing.
Fast exit relays (>=100 Mbit/s) usually have to handle a lot more concurrent connections (>100k).
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](https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/doc/PluggableTransports/obfs4proxy).
If you do not know your bandwidth you can use http://beta.speedtest.net to measure it.
# Monthly Outbound Traffic
It is required that a Tor relay be allowed to use a minimum of 100 GByte of
outbound traffic (and the same amount of incoming traffic) per month. Note: That
is only about 1 day worth of traffic on a 10 Mbit/s (Mbps) connection. More (>2
TB/month) is better and recommended. **Ideally a relay runs on an unmetered plan**
or includes 20 TB/month or more. If you have a metered plan you might want to
configure tor to only use a given amount of [bandwidth or monthly traffic](FIXME).
It is required that a Tor relay be allowed to use a minimum of 100 GByte of outbound traffic (and the same amount of incoming traffic) per month.
Note: That is only about 1 day worth of traffic on a 10 Mbit/s (Mbps) connection.
More (>2 TB/month) is better and recommended.
**Ideally a relay runs on an unmetered plan** or includes 20 TB/month or more.
If you have a metered plan you might want to configure tor to only use a given amount of [bandwidth or monthly traffic](FIXME).
# Public IPv4 Address
Every relay needs a public IPv4 address - either directly on the host
(preferred) or via NAT and port forwarding.
Every relay needs a public IPv4 address - either directly on the host (preferred) or via NAT and port forwarding.
The IPv4 address is not required to be static but static IP addresses are
preferred. Your IPv4 address should remain unchanged for at least 3 hours (if it
regularly changes more often than that, it does not make much sense to run a
relay or bridge there since it takes time to distribute the new list of relay
IPs to clients - which happens only once every hour).
The IPv4 address is not required to be static but static IP addresses are preferred.
Your IPv4 address should remain unchanged for at least 3 hours (if it regularly changes more often than that, it does not make much sense to run a relay or bridge there since it takes time to distribute the new list of relay IPs to clients - which happens only once every hour).
Additional IPv6 connectivity is great and recommended/encouraged but not a
requirement. There should be no problem at all with this requirement (all
commercially available servers come with at least one IPv4 address).
Additional IPv6 connectivity is great and recommended/encouraged but not a requirement.
There should be no problem at all with this requirement (all commercially available servers come with at least one IPv4 address).
Note: You can only run two Tor relays per public IPv4 address. If you want to
run more than two relays you will need more IPv4 addresses.
Note: You can only run two Tor relays per public IPv4 address.
If you want to run more than two relays you will need more IPv4 addresses.
# Memory Requirements
...
...
@@ -72,26 +60,23 @@ run more than two relays you will need more IPv4 addresses.
# Disk Storage
Tor does not need much disk storage. A typical Tor relay needs less than 200 MB
for Tor related data (in addition to the operating system itself).
Tor does not need much disk storage.
A typical Tor relay needs less than 200 MB for Tor related data (in addition to the operating system itself).
# CPU
* Any modern CPU should be fine.
* It is recommended to use CPUs with AESNI support (that will improve performance
and allow for up to about ~400-450 Mbps in each direction on a single tor
instance on modern CPUs). If the file /proc/cpuinfo contains the word aes your
CPU has support for AES-NI.
* It is recommended to use CPUs with AESNI support (that will improve performance and allow for up to about ~400-450 Mbps in each direction on a single tor instance on modern CPUs).
If the file /proc/cpuinfo contains the word aes your CPU has support for AES-NI.
# Uptime
Tor has no hard uptime requirement but if your relay is not running for more
than 2 hours a day its usefulness is limited. Ideally the relay runs on a server
which runs 24/7. Reboots and tor daemon restarts are fine.
Tor has no hard uptime requirement but if your relay is not running for more than 2 hours a day its usefulness is limited.
Ideally the relay runs on a server which runs 24/7.
Reboots and tor daemon restarts are fine.
# Tor Version
For security reasons, Tor relays should not downgrade their tor version from a
supported to an unsupported version of tor. Some unsupported versions are
insecure. Relays that attempt to downgrade to an insecure version will be
rejected from the network automatically.
For security reasons, Tor relays should not downgrade their tor version from a supported to an unsupported version of tor.
Some unsupported versions are insecure.
Relays that attempt to downgrade to an insecure version will be rejected from the network automatically.
subtitle: Installing and configuring your Tor relay.
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key: 3
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html: relay-operations.html
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body:
# Considerations when choosing a hosting provider
If you have access to a high speed internet connection (>=100 Mbit/s in both
directions) and a physical piece of computer hardware, this is the best way to
run a relay. Having full control over the hardware and connection gives you a
more controllable and (if done correctly) secure environment. You can host your
own physical hardware at home (do NOT run a Tor exit relay from your home) or in
a data center. Sometimes this is referred to as installing the relay on "bare
metal".
If you do not own physical hardware, you could run a relay on a rented dedicated
server or virtual private server (VPS). This can cost anywhere between
$3.00/month and thousands per month, depending on your provider, hardware
configuration, and bandwidth usage. Many VPS providers will not allow you to run
exit relays. You must follow the VPS provider's terms of service, or risk having
your account disabled. For more information on hosting providers and their
policies on allowing Tor relays, please see this list maintained by the Tor
community: [GoodBadISPs](FIXME).
If you have access to a high speed internet connection (>=100 Mbit/s in both directions) and a physical piece of computer hardware, this is the best way to run a relay.
Having full control over the hardware and connection gives you a more controllable and (if done correctly) secure environment.
You can host your own physical hardware at home (do NOT run a Tor exit relay from your home) or in a data center.
Sometimes this is referred to as installing the relay on "bare metal".
If you do not own physical hardware, you could run a relay on a rented dedicated server or virtual private server (VPS).
This can cost anywhere between $3.00/month and thousands per month, depending on your provider, hardware configuration, and bandwidth usage.
Many VPS providers will not allow you to run exit relays.
You must follow the VPS provider's terms of service, or risk having your account disabled.
For more information on hosting providers and their policies on allowing Tor relays, please see this list maintained by the Tor community: [GoodBadISPs](FIXME).
OS configuration is outside the scope of this guide but the following points are
crucial for a Tor relay, so we want to mention them here nonetheless.
OS configuration is outside the scope of this guide but the following points are crucial for a Tor relay, so we want to mention them here nonetheless.
## Time Synchronization (NTP)
Correct time settings are essential for Tor relays. It is recommended that you
use the network time protocol (NTP) for time synchronization and ensure your
timezone is set correctly.
Correct time settings are essential for Tor relays. It is recommended that you use the network time protocol (NTP) for time synchronization and ensure your timezone is set correctly.
## Automatic Software Updates
One of the most imported things to keeps your relay secure is to install
security updates timely and ideally automatically so you can not forget about
it. We collected the steps to enable automatic software updates for different
operating systems:
One of the most imported things to keeps your relay secure is to install security updates timely and ideally automatically so you can not forget about it.
We collected the steps to enable automatic software updates for different operating systems:
This section covers the installation and configuration of the program required
to run a Tor relay for various operating systems. These steps are intended for
the latest stable version of the given OS, on Ubuntu for the latest LTS release.
This section covers the installation and configuration of the program required to run a Tor relay for various operating systems.
These steps are intended for the latest stable version of the given OS, on Ubuntu for the latest LTS release.
Note: For some operating systems, there are alpha version packages available
(tor versions with new features not deemed to be stable yet). These are only
recommended for people eager to test and report bugs in bleeding edge
releases/features. If you are looking to run a relay with minimal effort we
recommend you stick to stable releases.
Note: For some operating systems, there are alpha version packages available (tor versions with new features not deemed to be stable yet).
These are only recommended for people eager to test and report bugs in bleeding edge releases/features.
If you are looking to run a relay with minimal effort we recommend you stick to stable releases.
In this guide we describe how to setup a new non-exit relay. By reading further
you can easily switch to become an exit relay.
In this guide we describe how to setup a new non-exit relay.
By reading further you can easily switch to become an exit relay.
**Questions you should clarify before configuring Tor:**
* Do you want to run a Tor exit or non-exit (guard/middle) relay?
* If you want to run an exit relay: Which ports do you want to allow in your
exit policy? (more ports usually means potentially more abuse complains)
* If you want to run an exit relay: Which ports do you want to allow in your exit policy? (more ports usually means potentially more abuse complains)
* What external TCP port do you want to use for incoming Tor connections?
("ORPort" configuration, we recommend port 443 if that is not used by another
daemon on your server already. ORPort 443 is recommended because it is often one
of the few open ports on public WIFI networks. Port 9001 is another commonly used ORPort.)
("ORPort" configuration, we recommend port 443 if that is not used by another daemon on your server already. ORPort 443 is recommended because it is often one of the few open ports on public WIFI networks. Port 9001 is another commonly used ORPort.)
* What email address will you use in the ContactInfo field of your relay(s)?
Note: This information will be made public.
Note: This information will be made public.
* How much bandwidth/monthly traffic do you want to allow for Tor traffic?
* Does the server have an IPv6 address?
...
...
@@ -144,32 +118,21 @@ The installation commands are shown in code blocks and must be executed with roo
## Make sure relay ports can be reached
If you are using a firewall, open a hole in your firewall so incoming
connections can reach the ports you will use for your relay (ORPort, plus
DirPort if you enabled it). Also, make sure you allow all outgoing connections
too, so your relay can reach the other Tor relays, clients and destinations. You
can find the specific ORPort TCP port number in the torrc configuration samples
bellow (in the OS specific sections).
If you are using a firewall, open a hole in your firewall so incoming connections can reach the ports you will use for your relay (ORPort, plus DirPort if you enabled it).
Also, make sure you allow all outgoing connections too, so your relay can reach the other Tor relays, clients and destinations.
You can find the specific ORPort TCP port number in the torrc configuration samples bellow (in the OS specific sections).
## Configuration Management
Tor does not scale well on multi-core machines. If you run a Tor relay on a
server with a fast Internet uplink (>200 Mbit/s) you might want to consider
running multiple Tor instances on a single server with multiple cores. Note: You
can only run two tor instances per public IPv4 address.
Tor does not scale well on multi-core machines.
If you run a Tor relay on a server with a fast Internet uplink (>200 Mbit/s) you might want to consider running multiple Tor instances on a single server with multiple cores.
Note: You can only run two tor instances per public IPv4 address.
If you plan to run more than a single relay, or you want to run a high capacity
relay (multiple Tor instances per server) or want to use strong security
without performing additional steps manually, you may want to use a configuration
management for better maintainability.
If you plan to run more than a single relay, or you want to run a high capacity relay (multiple Tor instances per server) or want to use strong security features like [Offline Master Keys](https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/doc/TorRelaySecurity/OfflineKeys) without performing additional steps manually, you may want to use a configuration management for better maintainability.
There are multiple configuration management solutions for Unix based operating
systems (Ansible, Puppet, Salt, ...).
There are multiple configuration management solutions for Unix based operating systems (Ansible, Puppet, Salt, ...).
The following Ansible Role has specifically been build for Tor relay operators
and supports multiple operating systems:
The following Ansible Role has specifically been build for Tor relay operators and supports multiple operating systems:
http://github.com/nusenu/ansible-relayor
...
...
@@ -185,35 +148,30 @@ Please choose your platform:
## Verify that your relay works
If your logfile (syslog) contains the following entry after starting your tor
daemon your relay should be up and running as expected:
If your logfile (syslog) contains the following entry after starting your tor daemon your relay should be up and running as expected:
```
Self-testing indicates your ORPort is reachable from the outside. Excellent.
Publishing server descriptor.
```
About 3 hours after you started your relay it should appear on
[Relay Search](https://metrics.torproject.org/rs.html). You can search for your
relay using your nickname or IP address.
About 3 hours after you started your relay it should appear on [Relay Search](https://metrics.torproject.org/rs.html).
You can search for your relay using your nickname or IP address.
# Getting Help
If you run into problems while setting up your relay you can ask your questions
on the public tor-relays mailing list:
If you run into problems while setting up your relay you can ask your questions on the public tor-relays mailing list:
