{"id":13167,"date":"2019-04-01T23:11:19","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T15:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=13167"},"modified":"2019-04-01T15:33:49","modified_gmt":"2019-04-01T07:33:49","slug":"introductions-to-bitcoins-tor-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/introductions-to-bitcoins-tor-network\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beginner’s Guide to Bitcoins & Tor Network"},"content":{"rendered":"

Internet users familiar with the underground community are likely to have heard the phrase \u201cdeep web\u201d. It combines a set of websites and communications technologies which apply solely to the Tor network. This collective open-source software has blossomed into a revolutionary idea in just a few years.<\/p>\n

On a similar note the bitcoin currency has also been gaining some attention. Although these two ideas are not<\/strong> correlated, they do fit together in the subject of underground web technology.<\/p>\n

So, Through this guide, I\u2019d like to introduce you to the topic of bitcoins, how they work, and their connection with the Tor network. Let\u2019s first clarify what Tor is really about.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/strong> 4 Ways to Own Bitcoins Online<\/a><\/p>\n

The Tor Project<\/h2>\n

The original Tor network project<\/a> isn\u2019t as underground as it used to be. The open-source software was an effort to provide a new layer of Internet protection between the user and the remote website server, thus providing you with a sense of security. This is accomplished by using 3 different relay proxies which re-direct you along a random path in the network.<\/p>\n

Similar to Bit Torrent, users of the Tor network will keep their computers running 24\/7 as a relay service. This means when you go to access a website on Tor it\u2019ll pass your request through 3 different computers (called nodes)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This level of encryption ensures that no single computer within the proxy chain can determine your physical location and requested content. The official Tor FAQ<\/a> contains more technical details if you\u2019re interested.<\/p>\n

This is crucial for users who prefer to keep their location and privacy unknown, individuals like whistleblowers or abuse victims. The fact that a wider variety of people now use Tor increases the level of security, helping you hide among the many other faceless users who are on the network.<\/p>\n

Getting Started<\/h2>\n

To access this network of proxies you only need to download their package software. If you visit the Tor project downloads page<\/a> you\u2019ll notice a listing for the most popular Operating Systems including Linux, Windows, and Mac OSX. The software is bundled as a zip archive without requiring any installation.<\/p>\n

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After opening, just double-click the Tor icon to start up relay services, and shortly after, a new web browser should launch in the Gecko\/Mozilla engine. It\u2019s basically a shell script of Firefox which runs under custom proxy settings for Tor.<\/p>\n

The entire network behaves as one interconnected and fluid proxy server farm. It\u2019s important to note that you can access regular HTTP websites via proxy, but the load times are immensely slower. The real benefit of using Tor is to gain access into the onion routing<\/a> network. Within this chasm of the deep Internet lies the hidden websites so often discussed around the watercooler.<\/p>\n

Onion Routing<\/h2>\n

This new technology is used within the Tor network to communicate hosts with darknet websites. These are still HTML\/CSS pages which have been hosted on servers specifically targeting an .onion<\/code> DNS address.<\/p>\n

This TLD (Top-Level Domain) is actually similar to other country codes such as .us<\/em>, .co.uk<\/em>, .es<\/em> and others. However, you are not accessing the same websites, as through an HTTP\/FTP connection.<\/p>\n

\"how<\/figure>\n

The most intriguing part of the Onion routing network is within their unique URL addresses. Instead of human-readable strings such as hongkiat.com<\/em> these appear as randomly generated numbers and letters. So for example, to visit \u201cThe Hidden Wiki\u201d you would enter the following in browser:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/kpvz7ki2v5agwt35.onion\/wiki\/index.php\/Main_Page<\/code><\/p>\n

This redirects to a Wikipedia-style site focusing on everything Tor-related.<\/p>\n

To get a better idea of how Tor websites are designed and created, check out some of the other examples I\u2019ve provided below.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • TorStatusNet Microblogging \u2013 http:\/\/lotjbov3gzzf23hc.onion\/<\/code><\/li>\n
  • Tor Web Design Guidelines \u2013 http:\/\/wf4df37hrebhwzts.onion\/<\/code><\/li>\n
  • Freedom Hosting \u2013 http:\/\/xqz3u5drneuzhaeo.onion\/<\/code><\/li>\n
  • MyBitcoin \u2013 http:\/\/xqzfakpeuvrobvpj.onion\/<\/code><\/li>\n
  • BitLaundry \u2013 http:\/\/yhngvp3q5h4s7d3e.onion\/<\/code><\/li>\n
  • BitLotto \u2013 http:\/\/jpjyhljziw2glwfg.onion\/lotto\/index.html<\/code><\/li>\n
  • Simple PM \u2013 http:\/\/4v6veu7nsxklglnu.onion\/SimplePM.php<\/code><\/li>\n
  • Anonymoose Chat \u2013 http:\/\/c2hluuzwi7tuceu6.onion\/<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Introduction to Bitcoin<\/h2>\n

    Let\u2019s take a break from Tor for a moment and examine the underground currency, bitcoin. Bitcoins behaves just like any other monetary system; it can be exchanged and traded for Dollars and Euros. It is not too difficult to comprehend with a bit of reading but I feel that this video really clears up some of the confusing areas for beginners.<\/p>\n