Tor relay, explained
A Tor relay forwards traffic within the Tor network; different relay roles have different operational exposure.
- The field
- Technical
- Reading time
- 1 minute
- In this entry
- Meaning · relevance · limits
The meaning
A Tor relay forwards traffic within the Tor network; different relay roles have different operational exposure.
Why it matters
Middle relays, bridges and exits need suitable connectivity and current Tor Project guidance. Confirm provider permission for the chosen role.
The boundary
An exit's public traffic can generate complaints, so it should not be treated as an ordinary web server workload.
Choose the relay role deliberately
A non-exit relay forwards encrypted Tor traffic without originating ordinary public-web connections as an exit. An exit relay has different abuse and network-policy implications. Confirm that the selected product and region permit the intended role, then budget monthly transfer from the configured sustained rate rather than from the port’s peak speed.
- At a sustained 10 Mbps, outbound traffic alone is about 3.24 TB over 30 days, using decimal units.
- Exit operation needs explicit approval and appropriate handling of abuse reports; do not assume every plan allows it.