How to Run a Tor Relay

• Middle relay - Passes encrypted traffic between other relays. Low risk, moderate bandwidth.
• Guard relay - First hop in a Tor circuit. Requires high uptime and bandwidth. Automatically promoted from middle relay after running stably.
• Exit relay - Final hop that connects to the destination. Higher risk - your IP appears as the source. Only run if you understand the legal implications in your jurisdiction.
• Bridge relay - Unlisted relay that helps users in censored countries connect to Tor. Not in the public directory.

Recommendation: Start with a middle relay. It's low risk and makes a real impact.

sudo apt install tor
sudo nano /etc/tor/torrc

Add these lines:

ORPort 9001
Nickname myTorRelay
ContactInfo your@email.com
ExitRelay 0
RelayBandwidthRate 1 MB
RelayBandwidthBurst 2 MB

ExitRelay 0 ensures you're running a middle relay, not an exit. Restart Tor and your relay will join the network within a few hours.

• Minimum: 2 Mbps (250 KB/s) - even small relays help
• Recommended: 10+ Mbps for meaningful contribution
• Ideal: 100+ Mbps for high-impact relays
• You can set bandwidth limits in torrc to control how much you donate

Running a Tor relay on your home connection isn't ideal - it uses bandwidth and may attract attention from your ISP. AnubizHost provides VPS and dedicated servers in privacy-friendly locations perfect for running Tor relays. Our offshore servers in Iceland, Romania, and Finland are ideal for relay operators.