Add beginner Tor Browser walkthrough to onion service post
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Readers arriving at the onion addresses had no instructions for
opening a .onion. Adds a step-by-step Tor Browser install (download,
GPG signature verification, connect, bridge fallback) plus how to
open a v3 address: 56-char base32 rules, no typo correction, v2
retirement, and the 10-60 minute descriptor propagation window.

Mirrored to the Chinese version in the same commit.
This commit is contained in:
2026-09-19 21:14:17 +08:00
parent ab16b8f935
commit a0c22f22ca
2 changed files with 42 additions and 0 deletions
@@ -15,6 +15,27 @@ The way I answer a curiosity like that is to build something, so the experiment
- `hoeleegitkcng572znkbpyffppyulsdwv3aurrzlk7y7vlhknogswoqd.onion` — the Gitea mirror
- `hoeleeaiwowgndbxswegtdzoeupz7lkkechtqmurbmnpvwa4k3vyuyid.onion` — the portfolio mirror
### If you've never opened a `.onion` before
These addresses don't work in a normal browser. You need Tor Browser, which routes your traffic through the Tor network. It's a five-minute setup:
1. Download it from **[torproject.org/download](https://www.torproject.org/download/)**.
2. **Verify the signature.** The download page links the `.asc` files, and this step matters — a tampered Tor Browser is the worst possible way to lose your anonymity. Download the signing key, then check the file:
```bash
gpg --auto-key-locate nodefault,wkd --locate-keys [email protected]
gpg --verify tor-browser-*.tar.xz.asc tor-browser-*.tar.xz
```
3. Extract and run it. Windows and macOS get a normal installer; on Linux, extract and run `./start-tor-browser.desktop`.
4. **Click Connect.** The default settings are fine. If you're on a censored network, choose "Configure connection" and pick a bridge (Snowflake or obfs4).
5. Wait for "Connected" and the circuit display in the top-left corner. You're on Tor.
Now paste one of the addresses above into the URL bar, exactly as written. Two things to know:
- A v3 address is **56 characters** of base32 (`az`, `27`) plus `.onion`. There is no typo correction and no search suggestion — one wrong character gives you a dead address with no explanation.
- A 16-character address (v2) won't load at all. The v2 protocol was retired in 2021.
One thing that surprises first-timers: a brand-new onion can take **1060 minutes** before the network recognises it. Tor has to publish a descriptor and get it accepted into the hash ring. An onion that doesn't load on the first try is usually just young, not broken.
While I was researching how to do this right, a lot of what I read online talked up the benefits of obfs4. What actually kept my setup safe had nothing to do with that reading.
So what does actually keep an onion service safe? I went through this properly when I set the mirrors up, and again months later when I went back to check on them. Some of the setup held up. Some of it had quietly broken. And a couple of things I believed about Docker turned out to be wrong in ways I could measure.
@@ -15,6 +15,27 @@ banner: /banners/hardening-a-tor-onion-service.png
- `hoeleegitkcng572znkbpyffppyulsdwv3aurrzlk7y7vlhknogswoqd.onion` — Gitea 镜像
- `hoeleeaiwowgndbxswegtdzoeupz7lkkechtqmurbmnpvwa4k3vyuyid.onion` — 个人主页镜像
### 如果你从没打开过 `.onion`
这些地址在普通浏览器里打不开,你需要 Tor Browser,它会把你的流量经过 Tor 网络转发。安装大概五分钟:
1.**[torproject.org/download](https://www.torproject.org/download/)** 下载。
2. **验证签名。** 下载页会给出 `.asc` 文件和签名密钥的链接,这一步很重要——被篡改的 Tor Browser 是丢掉匿名性最糟糕的方式。先导入签名密钥,再校验文件:
```bash
gpg --auto-key-locate nodefault,wkd --locate-keys [email protected]
gpg --verify tor-browser-*.tar.xz.asc tor-browser-*.tar.xz
```
3. 解压并运行。Windows 和 macOS 是常规安装包;Linux 解压后运行 `./start-tor-browser.desktop`。
4. **点 Connect。** 默认设置就行。如果你所在网络有审查,选 "Configure connection" 并使用网桥(Snowflake 或 obfs4)。
5. 等左上角出现 "Connected" 和链路显示,就说明你已经在 Tor 上了。
然后把上面的地址**一字不差**粘进地址栏。有两件事要知道:
- v3 地址是 **56 个字符**的 base32(`az`、`27`)加 `.onion`。没有拼写纠错,也没有搜索建议——错一个字符就是一个打不开的地址,而且不会有任何提示。
- 16 个字符的地址(v2)完全打不开。v2 协议已在 2021 年退役。
有一点会让第一次用的人意外:全新的洋葱地址可能需要 **10 到 60 分钟**才会被网络识别。Tor 必须先发布 descriptor,并让它被哈希环接受。第一次打不开通常只是地址还太年轻,不是配置坏了。
研究怎么把它做好时,我在网上读到了很多讲 obfs4 好处的文章。最终让我的部署真正安全的东西,和那些阅读没什么关系。
那么,真正让一个洋葱服务安全的是什么?我设镜像时认真走了一遍全程,几个月后又回头检查了一遍。有一部分配置经受住了考验,有一部分已经悄悄坏掉,还有几件我原本对 Docker 的认知,被实测证明是错的。