Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Understanding Tor relays
Tor relays
are the individual nodes in the Tor network. A node is some type of computer
that is running the Tor software. These relays route messages throughout the network. Exit
nodes, which are the last nodes in the circuit, send the clients' messages to the destination
service. One of the interesting aspects of Tor is that most of the nodes are run by volun-
teers. These relay operators volunteer their bandwidth, time, and energy bill to increase the
capacity of the Tor network. The Tor Project encourages individuals to run relays in order
to add to the diversity of the network. The motivation behind this recommendation is that it
is easier to hide in a crowd—it's difficult to hide in a crowd of one person.
