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darkWEB_server
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## darkWEB_server
# Rasp Pi Dark Web Server
Host your own **censorship-resistant onion site** using a Raspberry Pi, Tor, and NGINX.
This guide walks you through setting up a hidden service to serve your files, blog, or community — with no domain registrar, no SSL, and no corporate gatekeeper.
---
## What You Need
- Raspberry Pi 5 (I used a Pi 4B — it works, but took extra troubleshooting)
- A clean install of **Kali Linux** (or Raspberry Pi OS)
- USB flash drive (to hold your site files)
- Stable internet connection
- Read-only mount for your USB so nothing can overwrite your files
---
## Step 1: Prepare the Pi
```bash
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
shutdown -r now # restart
sudo apt install nginx tor -y
````
---
## Step 2: Mount Your USB Drive (Read-Only)
Read-only means your files can't be altered by accident or by an attacker who somehow reaches the Pi.
Find the drive:
```bash
lsblk
```
Create a mountpoint:
```bash
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/usb
```
Mount read-only:
```bash
sudo mount -o ro,uid=www-data,gid=www-data /dev/sda1 /mnt/usb
```
Now drop your site files in `/mnt/usb`
* `index.html` → homepage (disclaimer, intro, etc.)
* `list/` → folder of downloadable files
---
## Step 3: Configure NGINX (Tor-Only)
Edit the default site:
```bash
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
```
Paste in:
```nginx
server {
listen 127.0.0.1:80 default_server;
server_name localhost;
root /mnt/usb;
index index.html;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
}
location /list/ {
alias /mnt/usb/list/;
autoindex on;
autoindex_exact_size off;
autoindex_localtime on;
}
location ~ /\. {
deny all;
}
}
```
Save & exit Nano (`ctrl+x`, then `y`, then `enter`).
Enable NGINX:
```bash
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl enable nginx --now
```
---
## Step 4: Configure Tor Hidden Service
Create hidden service directory:
```bash
sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/tor/your_service
sudo chown -R debian-tor:debian-tor /var/lib/tor/your_service
sudo chmod 700 /var/lib/tor/your_service
```
Edit Tor config:
```bash
sudo nano /etc/tor/torrc
```
Add at the bottom:
```ini
User debian-tor
DataDirectory /var/lib/tor
SocksPort 9050
HiddenServiceDir /var/lib/tor/your_service/
HiddenServiceVersion 3
HiddenServicePort 80 127.0.0.1:80
```
*(If you already see `User debian-tor`, don’t duplicate it.)*
Restart Tor:
```bash
sudo systemctl restart tor@default
```
Get your onion address:
```bash
sudo cat /var/lib/tor/your_service/hostname
```
It will look like:
```
vno7jb3h4cksmmwxat374yotss6kdzc43rcazu420y69zrjsqwnvoopp.onion/list/
```
---
## Step 5: Lock It Down
* **Bind to localhost** (already done). The Pi does not serve on the open internet.
* **Mount USB read-only** (done above). Files can’t be altered.
* **Keep your onion link private** unless you’re ready for traffic.
* *(Optional)* Add `iptables` rules to further control traffic (covered in a future guide).
---
## Results
You now have a working onion service serving files straight from a flash drive, on your own hardware.
* No domain registrar
* No SSL certs
* No corporate gatekeeper
Your mirror sits quietly behind Tor, accessible only to those who know the link.
---
## Final Thoughts
This isn’t just for coders.
Web designers, journalists, activists, and photographers can all use onion services to share their work without a middleman.
In an era of surveillance, corporate gatekeeping, and arbitrary takedowns, publishing directly from your own hardware is powerful.
It’s not big or flashy — it’s **small, DIY, and entirely yours**.
license
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2026 ek0mssavi0r
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.
USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. NO WARRANTY PROVIDED.