# Radicle x Tor: SOCKS5 Proxy Quick Start Guide

[TOC]

## Summary
This guide aims to simplify the process of setting up a secure and private environment for Radicle users, ensuring that their repositories and communication remain protected behind the Tor network.

## Prerequisites
- Ensure Tor is installed on your system
- Ensure you have Radicle installed on your system and an identity created (see Chapter 1 of [User Guide](https://radicle.xyz/guides/user))

## Steps
1. Configure Tor as a hidden service (see [Tor Configuration Details](#Edit-Your-Configuration-File) for your operating system) and start Tor (see [Tor Commands](#Common-Tor-Commands) for your operating system)

2. Stop your node if it's running: `rad node stop`

3. Build heartwood from source: https://app.radicle.xyz/nodes/seed.radicle.xyz/rad:z3gqcJUoA1n9HaHKufZs5FCSGazv5

rad clone rad:z3gqcJUoA1n9HaHKufZs5FCSGazv5

cd heartwood

cargo install --path radicle-cli --force --locked --root ~/.radicle
cargo install --path radicle-node --force --locked --root ~/.radicle
cargo install --path radicle-remote-helper --force --locked --root ~/.radicle

*(This step here will be removed in future when this code is added to an official release candidate)*

4. Verify the correct version using `radicle-node --version`. It should be `radicle-node pre-release (930f9b0a)`.

5. Get your .onion address (see [How to Get Your .onion Address](##How-to-Get-Your-onion-Address))

6. Edit your configuration using `rad config edit`:
a. Set your `externalAddresses` to your .onion address with port 8776, e.g.:

      "externalAddresses": [
        "nryicotfm746kfvkoqjgrdffsohhv437m5aqpyv3rq546iddbsit3cid.onion:8776"
      ],

b. Set `listen` to:

        "listen": [
          "0.0.0.0:8776"
        ],

c. Add the following lines after the `externalAddresses` field:

      "tor": {
        "mode": "proxy",
        "address": "127.0.0.1:9050"
      },

7. Start your node: `rad node start` and verify that your node is connected to other seed nodes using `rad node status`.

8. Run `rad node config --addresses` to output your full external address. This is your `{nid}@{externalAddress}` and can be shared with other peers who want to connect to you, via `rad node connect {nid}@{externalAddress}`, such as:

rad node connect [e-mail]:8776

Note: This sample command above will not work, try it with a real node.

## Tor Quick Start

### Edit Your Configuration File
#### Mac
1. In `~/.tor`, create a directory called `radicle` (or a name of your choice), and ensure the permissions are `700`

mkdir -m 700 ~/.tor/radicle

This will be the path for the hidden service.

2. Navigate into the folder, run `pwd`, and copy the output of `pwd`. This should be something like `Users/your-user-name/.tor/radicle`

2. Edit your Tor configuration file:

   vim /usr/local/etc/tor/torrc

The file should include these parameters, with `HiddenServiceDir` set to the path you copied in step 1:

   HiddenServiceDir /Users/your-user-name/.tor/radicle
   HiddenServicePort 8776

1) /var/lib/tor/radicle is not owned by this user (debian-tor, 122) but by root (0). Perhaps you are running Tor as the wrong user?

chown -R debian-tor:debian-tor /var/lib/tor/radicle (for ubuntu users getting tor from debian repo)

2) Permissions on directory /var/lib/tor/radicle are too permissive.

chmod 700 /var/lib/tor/radicle

#### Linux
1. In `/var/lib/tor`, create a directory called 'radicle' (or a name of your choice). This will be the path for the hidden service (`/var/lib/tor/radicle`). Make sure the permissions of the directory are 700:

sudo mkdir -m 700 /var/lib/tor/radicle

Note: if you are a Debian user who got Tor from a Debian repo, you may need to change the ownership of the 'radicle' directory to the `debian-tor` user and group first:

sudo chown -R debian-tor:debian-tor /var/lib/tor/radicle

2. Edit your Tor configuration file:

   sudo vim /etc/tor/torrc

The file should look like this, with `HiddenServiceDir` set to the path above:

   HiddenServiceDir /var/lib/tor/radicle
   HiddenServicePort 8776 

### How to Get Your .onion Address
1. Ensure you have restarted Tor, in case you just made the configuration updates described above (see [Tor Commands](#Common-Tor-Commands) for your operating system)
2. Run the following command (this is reading the `hostname` file in the `HiddenServiceDir` you defined in `torrc`):
- Mac: `cat ~/.tor/radicle/hostname`
- Linux: `sudo cat /var/lib/tor/radicle/hostname`

### Common Tor Commands

**Mac**
- `brew services restart tor`
- `brew services start tor`
- `brew services stop tor`

**Linux**
- `sudo systemctl restart tor`
- `sudo systemctl start tor`
- `sudo systemctl stop tor`
- `sudo systemctl status tor` (to check the status of the Tor service)