Pluggable transports are tools that Tor can use to disguise the traffic it sends out. This can be useful in situations where an Internet Service Provider or other authority is actively blocking connections to the Tor network.
Currently there are six pluggable transports available, but more are being developed.
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obfs2 |
Censors have learned how to identify obfs2 bridges. This transport is deprecated, and you should not use it. |
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obfs3 |
obfs3 disguises Tor traffic as random noise. obfs3 bridges work almost everywhere, though some may have been identified and blocked by censors. |
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Scramblesuit |
Scramblesuit is an additional tool for the obfs3 transport that tries to stop censors from identifying bridges through active probing. |
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obfs4 |
obfs4 offers the same features as Scramblesuit, but uses different cryptographic and authentication methods that result in improved speed. |
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meek |
Rather than using bridges, meek works by making your Tor traffic seem as though it is destined for a major website that a censor cannot block without disrupting a lot of other activity on the network. |
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FTE |
Format-Transforming Encryption disguises Tor traffic as web (HTTP) traffic or other types of internet traffic. FTE bridges are effective, but in limited supply. |