<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/"
type="topic"
id="onion-services">
<info>
<desc>Services that are only accessible using Tor</desc>
<link type="guide" xref="index" group="six" />
</info>
<title>Onion Services</title>
<p>
Onion services (formerly known as “hidden services”) are services (like websites)
that are only accessible through the Tor network.
</p>
<p>
Onion services offer several advantages over ordinary services on the
non-private web:
</p>
<list>
<item>
<p>
An onion services’s location and IP address are hidden, making it difficult
for adversaries to censor it or identify its operators.
</p>
</item>
<item>
<p>
All traffic between Tor users and onion services is end-to-end encrypted,
so you do not need to worry about <link
xref='secure-connections'>connecting over HTTPS</link>.
</p>
</item>
<item>
<p>
The address of an onion service is automatically generated, so the
operators do not need to purchase a domain name; the .onion URL also
helps Tor ensure that it is connecting to the right location and that
the connection is not being tampered with.
</p>
</item>
</list>
<section id="access">
<title>How to access an onion service</title>
<p>
<media type="image" width="600" src="media/onionsites/onion_url.png" />
</p>
<p>
Just like any other website, you will need to know the address of an
