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Onion service (hidden service)

Definition

A server reachable through Tor using a .onion address derived from its public key. The server's real IP address is never exposed to clients. Both the client and the server route their connection through Tor rendezvous points, so neither party reveals its location to the other.

Related terms

Blockchain analysis
The forensic examination of a cryptocurrency's public transaction ledger to trace the flow of funds between addresses, cluster addresses controlled by the...
Exit node
The third relay in a Tor circuit, which forwards decrypted traffic to the public internet destination. The destination server sees the exit...
I2P (Invisible Internet Project)
A peer-to-peer anonymity network that routes traffic through a distributed mesh of volunteer nodes using unidirectional tunnels. Unlike Tor, I2P is primarily...
Onion routing
A technique in which a message is encrypted in multiple layers, one per relay node, so that each relay decrypts only its...
Traffic correlation attack
A deanonymisation technique that compares timing patterns and traffic volume at the entry point of a Tor circuit and at the destination,...

Explained in

  • Tor and Anonymity NetworksA server reachable through Tor using a .onion address derived from its public key. The server's real IP address is never exposed to clients. Both the client an...

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