Tor Network Primer For Torch Users And Researchers

What Tor does

Tor is an anonymity network. Instead of connecting directly to a server, a client builds a circuit through several relays. Each relay knows only the previous and next hop, so no single relay sees both who is communicating and what is being communicated. This design provides a degree of anonymity and helps resist network-level surveillance.

What an onion service is

An onion service is a server that is reachable through Tor rather than through the public internet. Its address is a .onion name derived from cryptographic keys. Clients connect to it through the Tor network, and the service can also remain hidden behind introduction points. The result is a website that does not need a public IP address or a conventional domain.

Why addresses look strange

A version 3 .onion address is a long string derived from a public key. It is not chosen for readability the way a domain name is. The address both locates the service and helps authenticate it, which is why a single character difference points to a completely different service.

How services are published

An operator configures a web server and publishes it as an onion service through Tor. The Tor software generates the address and manages introduction points. The operator can keep the service private, share the address with a community, or hope that crawlers and directories will list it. Most services are discovered through links rather than through search.

How clients reach them

Users typically access onion services through Tor Browser or another Tor-enabled client. The client resolves the .onion name through the Tor network and builds a circuit to the service. This is why ordinary browsers cannot open .onion addresses without additional configuration.

Why search coverage is partial

Torch can only index services it can discover and fetch. Because many services are unlinked, private, offline, or hostile to crawlers, no onion index is complete. The same is true of every other onion search engine.

Limitations

Tor is not a guarantee of safety, legality, or content quality. It provides anonymity properties, not trust. Onion services can be malicious, illegal, offline, or abandoned. Traffic can be slow. Addresses can change when keys change. Law and institutional policy still apply.

Next steps

Read how the Torch search engine works to see how indexes are built, or the glossary for definitions.

Last updated: October 2026. Site map.