Middle relay
Forwards encrypted traffic within the Tor network. It is not the endpoint that connects to public websites.
VPS for a Tor relay or bridge: requirements
A Linux server for a non-exit relay or an obfs4 bridge, with full root and transfer allowances from 2 TB to 16 TB. Choose the capacity you want to contribute, then configure Tor to stay inside it.
At a glance
A Tor middle relay forwards traffic inside the Tor network; a bridge offers an entry point that is not publicly listed like ordinary relays. Both require capacity planning, updates and provider permission. SilentVPS's planned catalogue excludes exit nodes, which have different operational responsibilities.
Choose the role before the machine
Bridge
An entry relay that is not published in the ordinary public directory. An obfs4 transport can help users on filtered networks reach Tor.
Exit node
Connects to the public internet on behalf of Tor users. Its IP receives the associated complaints and exposure. Exit nodes are excluded from the planned service.
Size for sustained transfer
A modest relay is still useful. Transfer allowance and sustained connectivity usually matter more than disk capacity. Veil provides 2 TB, Shade 4 TB, Eclipse 8 TB and Obsidian 16 TB per month; leave some room for updates and other traffic.
Use Tor’s RelayBandwidthRate, RelayBandwidthBurst, AccountingMax and accounting-period settings to fit the allowance. Confirm how inbound and outbound transfer are counted before setting your budget. A burst rate is not the same as a guaranteed sustained port speed.
A practical operating routine
Install from maintained sources
Start with Debian or Ubuntu and follow the Tor Project relay documentation for the current package and configuration.
Set identity and contact carefully
Choose a relay nickname and safe operator contact. Do not insert a personal identifier merely because the example configuration has one.
Limit and monitor
Enable bandwidth accounting, watch health and resource usage, and allow time for a new relay to earn network weight.
Keep the node maintained
Apply security updates, preserve relay identity keys securely and plan restart windows.
Keep payment and administration separate
Use a dedicated account alias and consider the public transaction history of the wallet you use for payment. Tor-aware browsing and an SSH onion endpoint can reduce exposure in the management path. The server’s relay identity itself is intentionally public for an ordinary middle relay.
A relay, bridge and onion service are separate roles. Hosting a private application behind an onion address does not automatically make the machine a relay, and running a relay does not automatically hide an application’s origin.
Four sizes. The same privacy baseline.
Monthly or annual billing, with 30% off the twelve-month total when you pay yearly. Prices are in USD; cryptocurrency amounts depend on the invoice exchange rate. Full root, KVM virtualization, NVMe, IPv4 and IPv6 are part of the target specification for every tier.
Veil
$13/month · $109.20/year. 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 30 GB NVMe and 2 TB monthly transfer. A compact starting point for one lightweight service.
Shade
$33/month · $277.20/year. 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe and 4 TB monthly transfer. More room for applications and everyday self-hosting.
Eclipse
$63/month · $529.20/year. 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 160 GB NVMe and 8 TB monthly transfer. Space for a larger stack or transfer-intensive workload.
Obsidian
$118/month · $991.20/year. 8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 320 GB NVMe and 16 TB monthly transfer. The largest configuration for dense services and heavier compute.
Questions, answered
Are Tor relays and bridges intended workloads?+
Yes. The planned service covers middle relays and bridges, including obfs4. Use maintained software and configure resource limits for your plan.
How do relay, bridge and exit roles differ?+
A middle relay forwards encrypted traffic between Tor nodes. A bridge is an unlisted entry route. An exit connects to public websites and receives the associated exposure on its IP.
Can I configure a Tor exit?+
Exit nodes are excluded from the planned service. The supported relay roles do not authorize an exit configuration.
Which bandwidth allowance is included?+
Veil has 2 TB monthly transfer, Shade 4 TB, Eclipse 8 TB and Obsidian 16 TB. Use bandwidth and accounting directives to leave a margin for system traffic, and confirm production counting rules.
How can I reduce identifiers when paying for a relay?+
A dedicated alias separates the hosting account from personal profiles, but cryptocurrency transactions remain public and may be linked to previous wallet activity. The relay’s public network identity and your management connections are independent concerns.
How should an abuse report about a relay be handled?+
A middle relay differs from an exit and should not be mistaken for one. SilentVPS’s actual escalation and notification procedure will be confirmed by the production operator; this website does not promise a past support record.
Official references
A useful next step.
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