The Tor ProjectJan 26

🇮🇷 Update: Brief returns of internet access are driving spikes in Snowflake usage. Please help us run more proxies if you can. ❄️ snowflake.torproject.org

The easiest ways to run Snowflake is by using Tor Browser, Orbot, or installing the browser add on in your current browser. Extra capacity helps people in Iran stay connected when the network comes back online.

Show threadsb arms & legsJan 26
@torproject
How do clients know to connect to an instance of snowflake? Does the server 'phone home' somewhere to list itself as available?
Show threadBushed Shark  Jan 26
@sb @torproject we have to connect to a broker, which gives us an IP address of an active proxy. The broker itself is domain fronted behind another big website (like bunny.net, cdn77, these two currently work on MCI, in my region at least)
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Show threadsb arms & legsJan 26

@Shark @torproject
Thank you.

I'm just wondering, once a standalone instance of snowflake is running on a server and the ports have been opened up, how is that instance discovered?

Show threadBushed Shark  
@sb @torproject I'm not sure exactly how, but maybe because snowflake proxies are used as entry nodes, broker discovers them the same way that TOR entry nodes are discovered (which I also don't know how)

maybe tomorrow I'll start reading on it a bit
Jan 26 at 8:19pmWeb
Show threadBushed Shark  Jan 26
@sb @torproject found something
"Proxies poll the broker periodically, using ordinary HTTPS requests."
https://www.bamsoftware.com/papers/snowflake/
Show threadBushed Shark  Jan 26
@sb @torproject also snowflake works behind NAT, there is no need for opening a port.