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how to even open these links
.onion addresses only resolve inside the tor network. no browser extension or dns trick will make chrome or firefox reach them - you need tor itself. here is the short version.
the 2-minute setup
- grab the tor browser from the tor project itself - never from mirrors or download portals.
- install and start it. click "connect". that's the whole configuration for most people.
- copy an address from this list into the address bar. yes, the whole long gibberish string - use the copy button, don't retype it. one wrong letter means someone else's server.
- if a site loads partially or times out, retry before assuming it's dead. tor is slow sometimes - our status badge already knows whether the site answered recently.
already running tor?
- if you run the tor daemon or a tor-capable router, point any socks5-capable application at port 9050 of the host running tor and go direct.
- use socks5h (dns through tor) wherever the option exists - resolving .onion hostnames outside tor never works and leaks what you are looking for.
- firefox without the tor browser bundle is not equivalent: it leaks fingerprint data and has no circuit isolation. use the real thing.
when a link refuses to load
- check the badge on this site - if it says OFFLINE, save yourself the time.
- if it says ONLINE: retry, switch tor circuits (new identity in the tor browser), or try again later. captchas and regional blocks exist even on tor.
- loading forever without an error usually means congestion - the badge was green minutes ago for a reason.
dealing with pgp on top of all this? the tools section has a key generator plus separate encrypt, decrypt, sign and verify pages - all running in your browser.