TwistedNET

IRC over Tor: Anonymous IRC Chat via .onion

To use IRC anonymously, connect your IRC client through Tor to a network’s .onion hidden service. TwistedNET runs one at 6tjhpp6dyrs4tqb3xr3r47buqaekho4nlyfwrzw4kg4qpqfhhgztksad.onion on port 6667. Traffic never leaves the Tor network, so your IP address is hidden from the IRC server and there is no exit node to watch your traffic. If you don’t want to configure a client, open the TwistedNET Tor web chat in Tor Browser — it works without JavaScript.

TwistedNET Tor addresses

// copy these exactly

Service Onion address Port
IRC (for clients) 6tjhpp6dyrs4tqb3xr3r47buqaekho4nlyfwrzw4kg4qpqfhhgztksad.onion 6667
Web chat (Tor Browser, no JavaScript) gs4zxq5mizfg5lovjoadb2czyo2sbtfripi22hecvtb7yebk2wtgzdqd.onion 80 (http)
This website nycevk4qmryuchpybgiu6zn6q2ko3spimsvxcyucu7udy6tr3kguk3id.onion 80 (http)

Port 6667 is fine here: a connection to an onion service is end-to-end encrypted by Tor itself, so TLS is not needed on top.

Option 1: Tor web chat (easiest)

  1. Install and open Tor Browser from torproject.org.
  2. Visit the web chat onion address above.
  3. Pick a nickname and chat. It works even with Tor Browser’s security level set to “Safest”.

Option 2: an IRC client through Tor

// HexChat, WeeChat and Irssi

First run Tor. The Tor service listens for SOCKS5 connections on 127.0.0.1:9050; Tor Browser listens on 127.0.0.1:9150 while it is open.

HexChat

  1. Open Settings → Preferences → Network → Network setup.
  2. Set the proxy type to Socks5, host 127.0.0.1, port 9050 (or 9150 for Tor Browser), and use the proxy for All connections.
  3. In the Network List, add a network with the server 6tjhpp6dyrs4tqb3xr3r47buqaekho4nlyfwrzw4kg4qpqfhhgztksad.onion/6667 and SSL turned off.
  4. Connect, then /join #twisted.

WeeChat

/proxy add tor socks5 127.0.0.1 9050
/server add twistednet-tor 6tjhpp6dyrs4tqb3xr3r47buqaekho4nlyfwrzw4kg4qpqfhhgztksad.onion/6667 -proxy=tor -notls
/connect twistednet-tor

New to WeeChat? See our WeeChat beginner’s guide.

Irssi

Irssi has no built-in SOCKS proxy, so launch it through torsocks:

torsocks irssi
/connect 6tjhpp6dyrs4tqb3xr3r47buqaekho4nlyfwrzw4kg4qpqfhhgztksad.onion 6667

Staying anonymous on IRC

// Tor hides your IP — your habits can still give you away

  • Use a new nickname that you don’t use anywhere else.
  • Don’t share personal details or link your Tor identity to your clearnet one.
  • Disable DCC and CTCP replies in your client; they can reveal information about your system.
  • Don’t open files or links from people you don’t trust.
  • Keep Tor and your client updated.

Which IRC networks allow Tor?

// policies vary a lot

Many IRC networks block Tor users because of abuse. Some allow Tor only for accounts registered in advance; for example, Libera.Chat’s onion service requires an account created without Tor and certificate-based SASL authentication. TwistedNET takes the opposite approach: Tor users are welcome, the network keeps zero message logs, and you can connect to the hidden service with any IRC client. Compare networks in our IRC networks list.

IRC over Tor FAQ

Is IRC over Tor anonymous?

Connecting to an onion service hides your IP address from the IRC server and from anyone watching the server. Your anonymity also depends on what you reveal in chat, so use a fresh nickname and avoid personal details.

Why use the .onion address instead of irc.twistednet.org through Tor?

With the onion address your traffic never leaves the Tor network, so there is no exit node that could watch or tamper with it, and no exit node IP for the server to block.

Do I need to register to use TwistedNET over Tor?

No account is needed to connect. You can optionally register your nickname with NickServ to keep it.

Why is the onion port 6667 and not 6697?

Onion service connections are already end-to-end encrypted and authenticated by Tor, so an extra TLS layer is unnecessary.

Can I use IRC over Tor on my phone?

Yes. On Android, use Tor Browser to open the web chat onion, or route an IRC app through Orbot. On iPhone, use Onion Browser for the web chat.

Connect anonymously now

Open Tor Browser and visit the web chat onion, or point your client at 6tjhpp6dyrs4tqb3xr3r47buqaekho4nlyfwrzw4kg4qpqfhhgztksad.onion port 6667. See the connection guide for clearnet options and Securing your IRC connection for more privacy tips.