LateLune / Guides / What is an onion site?

What is an onion site?

An onion site lives inside the Tor network. Connecting to one never touches the open internet, and neither side learns where the other is.

An onion site, or onion service, is a website reachable only through Tor, at an address that ends in .onion. They look like long strings of random letters, because the address is derived from the site's cryptographic key.

Why they're more private

When you visit a normal site over Tor, your traffic leaves the Tor network at an exit relay. When you visit an onion site, it never leaves. The connection is end-to-end encrypted, your IP stays hidden from the site, and the site's server location stays hidden from you.

Why legit sites have them

Onion services aren't just for shady corners of the internet. News organizations, social networks, search engines, privacy tools and apps like LateLune run them so users can connect without exposing anything.

Spotting the real address

Fake onion sites are a common scam. Get the address from the service's own website, or let Tor Browser offer it: sites can tell Tor Browser about their onion address, and it shows a ".onion available" button in the address bar.

FAQ

Is visiting onion sites legal?

In most places, yes. It's just a way of connecting.

Do I need special software?

Yes, Tor Browser or another Tor-enabled browser.

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