🇮🇷 Update: Brief returns of internet access are driving spikes in Snowflake usage.
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Update: Brief returns of internet access are driving spikes in Snowflake usage. Please help us run more proxies if you can. 
️ snowflake.torproject.orgThe 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.
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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.
@torproject
How do clients know to connect to an instance of snowflake? Does the server 'phone home' somewhere to list itself as available? -
@torproject
How do clients know to connect to an instance of snowflake? Does the server 'phone home' somewhere to list itself as available?@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) -
@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)
@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?
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@torproject
How do clients know to connect to an instance of snowflake? Does the server 'phone home' somewhere to list itself as available?@sb @torproject Snowflake clients and snowflake proxies find each other via a broker:
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@sb @torproject Snowflake clients and snowflake proxies find each other via a broker:
@rebootdeluxe @torproject
Ah, perfect - exactly what I was looking for. Thank you. -
@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?
@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 -
@torproject
How do clients know to connect to an instance of snowflake? Does the server 'phone home' somewhere to list itself as available?@sb @torproject Bitchat also uses the tor network by default. So running a Snowflake proxy node will support it as well.
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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.
@torproject I'm running the plugin in Brave browser since approximately 2 years or so. But just set up a permanent proxy node on my VPS as well.
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@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@sb @torproject found something
"Proxies poll the broker periodically, using ordinary HTTPS requests."
https://www.bamsoftware.com/papers/snowflake/ -
@sb @torproject found something
"Proxies poll the broker periodically, using ordinary HTTPS requests."
https://www.bamsoftware.com/papers/snowflake/@sb @torproject also snowflake works behind NAT, there is no need for opening a port. -
@joevan @Ann_Effes @torproject Are we talking about security here?
Having this as a browser extension, next to my banking, email, docs and all, sounds a little crazy. This should be a process running under its own user. -
@joevan @Ann_Effes @torproject Are we talking about security here?
Having this as a browser extension, next to my banking, email, docs and all, sounds a little crazy. This should be a process running under its own user.@OndrejZizka @Ann_Effes @torproject
For LINUX:
- it is open source
- it runs in the context of Firefox
- it does not need any additional rightsFor WINDOWS:
- everything is always not secure
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@torproject how much extra data is to be expected from running snowflake?
@trrektor @torproject statistics of the first hour after setting up a new proxy node today:
In the last 1h0m0s, there were 21 completed successful connections. Traffic Relayed ↓ 15910 KB (4.42 KB/s), ↑ 8912 KB (2.48 KB/s).So, I don't think you will really notice any impact.
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@joevan @Ann_Effes @torproject Are we talking about security here?
Having this as a browser extension, next to my banking, email, docs and all, sounds a little crazy. This should be a process running under its own user.@OndrejZizka @Ann_Effes @torproject
But if you are concerned: Buy a used Raspberry Pi, install the OS and Docker. Run Snowflake in a docker container:
https://community.torproject.org/relay/setup/snowflake/standalone/docker/
20 to 30 bucks and 30 minutes to install everything
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@joevan @Ann_Effes @torproject Are we talking about security here?
Having this as a browser extension, next to my banking, email, docs and all, sounds a little crazy. This should be a process running under its own user.@OndrejZizka @joevan @torproject
I use about 4 browsers, each for a certain purpose. I installed the extension in Brave, which I use for test purposes only, nothing serious.
I considered installing it on one of my servers, but my network setup is quite strange (double NAT with IP blackholeing) and because of that it would not work actually.
(And I am on a Mac , not Windows)
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@OndrejZizka @Ann_Effes @torproject
But if you are concerned: Buy a used Raspberry Pi, install the OS and Docker. Run Snowflake in a docker container:
https://community.torproject.org/relay/setup/snowflake/standalone/docker/
20 to 30 bucks and 30 minutes to install everything
@joevan @OndrejZizka @torproject
Why the docker container? Makes things more complicated for beginners and does not add to security if you have a dedicated RPi anyways.
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@joevan @OndrejZizka @torproject
Why the docker container? Makes things more complicated for beginners and does not add to security if you have a dedicated RPi anyways.
@Ann_Effes @OndrejZizka @torproject Complicated? - No, the setup was very easy. And I am not very familar with Docker.
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@Ann_Effes @OndrejZizka @torproject Complicated? - No, the setup was very easy. And I am not very familar with Docker.
@joevan @OndrejZizka @torproject
Well … as it is one step more than just installing OS it IS in purely factual terms already more complicated.
Please note that real newbees do not even know what docker IS. So being "not very familliar" is already an advanced level of understanding.
I mean: if you want to convince people who are new to RPi we should keep it as simple as possible.
Using Docker in a single use scenario suits no purpose ... or maybe I do not get it.
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@joevan @OndrejZizka @torproject
Well … as it is one step more than just installing OS it IS in purely factual terms already more complicated.
Please note that real newbees do not even know what docker IS. So being "not very familliar" is already an advanced level of understanding.
I mean: if you want to convince people who are new to RPi we should keep it as simple as possible.
Using Docker in a single use scenario suits no purpose ... or maybe I do not get it.
@Ann_Effes @OndrejZizka @torproject I will make a short tutorial tomorrow. Very beginner friendly...now it's time to sleep.
