← Directory

Tor Snowflake

Tor Snowflake is a censorship-evasion pluggable transport for Tor that uses WebRTC to route blocked users' traffic through volunteer-run proxy nodes, allowing…

  • Network Services
  • Security
Tor Snowflake is a censorship-evasion pluggable transport for Tor that uses WebRTC to route blocked users' traffic through volunteer-run proxy nodes, allowing them to reach the Tor network even when it is censored.

Platform availability

Available on 1 of 9 platforms

  • Unraid (not listed)
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel (not listed)
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox
  • Helm (not listed)
  • Mac (not listed)
  • Windows (not listed)
  • Linux (not listed)

Health score?A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). When the source code has been checked, a fifth factor, security check (20%: automated scan for committed secrets, unsafe desktop-app settings, known-vulnerable dependencies and project hygiene; any serious finding caps it at 20), is added. Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

62/100 Good

Maintained
100last commit 18 days ago
Popular
198 GitHub stars
Easy to install
251 install platform, install notes
Light to run
85512 MB minimum RAM

Availability: platform listings confirmed today

No GitHub repository data collected yet.

Resources & Compatibility

Minimum requirements: 512 MB RAM.

Checked today - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Set Snowflake login details before starting If your setup reads login info from environment variables (invisible key/value settings), set SNOWSQL_PWD and WAREHOUSE before starting. Without them, the app will not know which Snowflake account and data area to use. source
  • Have your MFA code ready at login If your account uses MFA (a one-time code for extra login security), have your passcode or phone push notification ready. Without that one-time code, the app cannot finish logging in. source

Fetched today - each note links to its source

Alternatives (4)

  • I2P - I2P (Invisible Internet Protocol) is a universal anonymous network layer.
  • Tor - Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens pers…
  • URnetwork - URnetwork is a decentralized peer-to-peer VPN that provides anonymous and censorship-resistant access to the internet.
  • lokinet - Lokinet is a decentralised onion router that uses Oxen service nodes as relays, giving Lokinet the same market-based Sybil attack resistanc…

Checked today - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

How do I configure Tor to use Snowflake?

Add the appropriate Bridge and ClientTransportPlugin lines to your torrc file. The client README explains building and running the Snowflake client.

Can I run a Snowflake proxy without setting up a server?

Yes, the easiest option is to install the Snowflake browser addon, enable it, and keep it running. A blocked user can connect when the icon turns green.

Do Tor Browser, Orbot, or Ricochet-Refresh need a separate Snowflake installation?

No, Snowflake comes embedded in those Tor-powered apps. If one of them cannot connect to the Tor network, you can use the built-in Snowflake to unblock it.

What level of traffic does a standalone Snowflake proxy often see?

One operator reported running about 30 Dockerized Snowflake proxies on different IP addresses. Each proxy generally saw about 360-400 connections per hour and about 1 GB per hour.

How do Snowflake clients find volunteer proxies?

Tor clients automatically find available browser proxies via the Broker, the domain fronted signaling channel. The client and proxy then establish a WebRTC peer connection.

Answers sourced from forum.torproject.org, github.com, snowflake.torproject.org

Community

Collected today - public community threads