How to Create an Anonymous Website in Tor Using Onionshare

[Man]

Contents of the article:

1. What is an .onion site?
2. What is Onionshare
3. Installing Onionshare on Linux Windows and macOS
4. Using Onionshare to Create a Tor Site for Free
5. Conclusion

Onionshare is a free, open-source program that allows you to easily and securely transfer files and host websites on the Tor network. We've already covered how to anonymously transfer a file in Kali Linux. Today, we'll look at how to use Onionshare to create an anonymous .onion onion site.

What is an .onion site?​

An onion site is a website hosted on the Tor network and accessible only through the Tor browser.

Features of onion sites:

• The website address ends in .onion instead of the usual .com or .net. For example: xxxxxxxx.onion.
• The site can only be accessed through the anonymous Tor network; regular browsers will not be able to open the .onion site.
• Traffic between the user and the onion site is encrypted and passed through Tor nodes to ensure anonymity .
• Anonymity when creating a website.

Thus, onion sites provide increased anonymity and protection from censorship.

What is Onionshare​

Onionshare is a free and open-source tool for secure and anonymous file sharing using the Tor network.

Onionshare creates a temporary anonymous site, with a unique site address, and disappears as soon as the user who created it closes the Onionshare program. Onionshare is a great tool for those who need to share confidential information or files.

Onionshare is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It also comes with source code, meaning anyone can look at the code to see how secure it is.

The Tor network is used daily by more than 2 million people, which is less than one percent of all Internet users.

One of the key features of Onionshare is its simplicity. The program is designed to be easy to use, even for people with little technical experience. It does not require complicated installation or configuration, and you do not need to create an account or provide any personal information to use it.

Onionshare also offers a number of other security features to protect users' privacy. For example, it uses end-to-end encryption, which prevents files being transferred from being intercepted. It also has a feature that allows you to set an expiration time for shared files, after which they will be automatically deleted from the Onionshare site.

Let's get started creating a website in Tor using Onionshare.

Installing Onionshare on Linux Windows and macOS​

The first thing you need to do is install the Onionshare application.

Linux
Open Linux terminal and run the command:

apt install onionshare

Windows
To install Onionshare on Windows, download the latest version of the installer from the official website.

macOS
To install Onionshare macOS, you can use Homebrew:

brew install --cask onionshare

Using Onionshare to Create a Tor Site for Free​

Click on Host a Website.

A menu for adding files will appear, here you need to upload an HTML file, in this example I created and added a basic html.

Now we will share it. I recommend checking the option This is a public Onionshare… (This is a public site), if you do not check it, the program will ask you to enter the private key.

Now we have an .onion website address.

Open the Tor browser and enter the URL in the address bar.

Conclusion​

Overall, Onionshare is a useful tool for anyone looking to share files securely and anonymously. Its ease of use and robust security features make it a great choice for journalists, activists, and anyone else who needs to protect their privacy when sharing sensitive information online.