Hidden Service
A server reachable only as an onion service over Tor, without exposing a public IP to clients. v3 addresses are 56-character onion names derived from public keys.
A hidden service — the older term for what the Tor Project now calls an onion service — is a server reachable only inside the Tor network. Clients connect through a multi-step handshake involving introduction points and a rendezvous point, so neither side learns the other’s IP address and no exit node is involved.
Why it matters
Hidden services extend anonymity to the server side: a site can publish without exposing its hosting location, which is what makes whistleblowing platforms, censored news mirrors, and the entire dark-web layer possible. The address itself is derived from the service’s public key — current v3 names are 56 characters — so the address authenticates the endpoint by design.
Common mistake
Location privacy is not content safety or operator honesty. An onion address proves only that the respondent holds the corresponding private key; it says nothing about whether the service is legitimate. And because the v2 protocol was retired in 2021, old 16-character addresses are dead, not “down”.
Category: Network