Set-up a Tor-enabled darkirc node
To connect to Tor, we use Arti. This is an experimental project with incomplete security features. See Arti's roadmap for more information.
Using Tor, we can host anonymous nodes as Tor hidden services. To do this, we need to set up our Tor daemon and create a hidden service. The following instructions should work on any Linux system.
Step 1: Install Tor and Launch a Hidden Service
Tor can usually be installed with your package manager. For example
on an apt
based system we can run:
# apt install tor
This will install it. Now in /etc/tor/torrc
we can set up the hidden
service. For hosting an anonymous darkirc
node, set up the following
lines in the file:
HiddenServiceDir /var/lib/tor/darkfi_darkirc
HiddenServicePort 25551 127.0.0.1:25551
Then restart Tor:
# /etc/init.d/tor restart
You can grab the hostname of your hidden service from the directory:
# cat /var/lib/tor/darkfi_darkirc/hostname
Note your .onion
address and the ports you used while setting up the
Hidden Service.
Step 2: Build and run darkirc
In the main repository: make BINS="darkirc"
. Then run ./darkirc
. This will create
a configuration file at ~/.config/darkirc/darkirc_config.toml
.
Step 3: Configure Network Settings
Change the following settings in the configuration file created in Step 2.
As you modify the file, if you notice some settings are missing, simply add them. Some settings may be commented-out by default.
# connection settings
outbound_connect_timeout = 60
channel_handshake_timeout = 55
channel_heartbeat_interval = 90
outbound_peer_discovery_cooloff_time = 60
allowed_transports = ["tor", "tor+tls"]
external_addr = ["tor://youraddress.onion:your-port"]
# seeds
seeds = [
# These addresses are commented-out by default
"tor://rwjgdy7bs4e3eamgltccea7p5yzz3alfi2vps2xefnihurbmpd3b7hqd.onion:5262",
"tor://f5mldz3utfrj5esn7vy7osa6itusotix6nsjhv4uirshkcvgglb3xdqd.onion:5262",
]
# inbound settings
inbound = ["tcp://127.0.0.1:your-port"]
inbound_connections = 8
This configuration allows your node to send and receive traffic only via Tor.
The settings under inbound settings
are optional, but enabling them will
increase the strength and reliability of the network.
Step 4: Connect
Run ./darkirc
. Welcome to the dark forest.
Troubleshooting
Run darkirc -vv
for verbose debugging. This will show detailed errors including
tor connection issues. Refer to
Network troubleshooting
for troubleshooting resources.