Quick Guide: GitHub via Tor

I suggest using Tor to access sites that are not directly accessible.




The Tor network is a proxy server system that allows you to establish an anonymous network connection. With Tor, you can anonymously connect to regular servers and host non-listenable servers on the Tor network itself.
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Let's analyze a couple of ways to connect to Github via Tor.

Method 1: Torsocks (not for Windows)

On Debian and Ubuntu, installing the tor package is enough:

# apt-get install tor 

The tor package includes the torsocks program. If a torsocks is assigned to a program launch command (for example, git), then its network activity (including domain resolution) will go through Tor. Network activity that cannot be passed through Tor will be blocked (for example, UDP).

 torsocks git push torsocks git pull 

Method 2: SSH proxying through Tor

 $ cat ~/.ssh/config Host github Hostname github.com User git ProxyCommand /bin/nc -X 5 -x localhost:9050 %h %p $ git clone github:starius/lapis.git 

(Note the use of github instead of git@github.com in the git command. If you use Tor browser instead of system service tor, then the port will be 9150 instead of 9050.)

This method requires the program netcat-openbsd. If using another netcat, problems may arise. In this case, you need to install the package netcat-openbsd.

UPD . This method works in Windows (Cygwin). You need to install the git, openssh and nc packages. You can use Tor as part of a Tor browser (then the SOCKS5 port will be 9150).

Method 3: Specify a proxy in Git (not SSH) configuration

 $ git config --global http.proxy socks5://localhost:9050 $ git config --global https.proxy socks5://localhost:9050 

(If you are using the Tor browser instead of the tor system service, then the port will be 9150 instead of 9050.)

After that, you can work with Github in normal mode, but only via http and https:

 $ git clone https://github.com/leafo/lapis 

This method works on Linux, Mac, Windows (most likely it will work wherever there is a torus and git).

Why Tor, not I2P?

1. I2P is intended primarily for connections within the most hidden network (with hidden sites). Getting out of the hidden network in the good old Internet is the main purpose of Tor, and for I2P - an additional application. Yes, and the power of Tor on Exit-nodes many times exceeds the power of a single Exit-proxy node, which is in I2P. My download speed through Tor is between 500-1000 kilobytes per second.
2. Access to Tor cannot be blocked thanks to meek (in the picture to attract attention a screenshot of a tor-browser connecting via azure). Meek is based on the principle of connecting through sites that are too large to block: google, azure, amazon. If google.com is available via https, then the torus is available! About meek . UPD In China, google is still blocked .
3. Tor is easier to raise than I2P. Thor-browser includes everything you need and even a child can download and run it, and debian has a tor package for a long time. I2P in this sense loses much.

You can help the Tor network!

1. Launch Tor Network Server
2. Make a donation
3. Other ways to help Tor

Ps. Inspired by the publication “ Brief Instruction: GitHub via I2P ”. I wanted to write a detailed commentary, but the material has accumulated on a separate post. I wonder why there is an I2P hub on the Habré, but there is no Tor hub.