Most guides online assume you need a server to host a Tor (.onion) site.

You don’t.

You can run a fully working .onion service on a normal computer — no domain, no VPS, no public IP.

Here’s a minimal setup.

1. Install Tor

On Ubuntu:

apt-get install tor

2. Run a Local Web Server

You just need something listening on localhost.

Example (Flask):

from flask import Flask

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route("/")
def index():
    return "hello world!"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run(host="127.0.0.1", port=1234)

Start the server:

python app.py

3. Configure Tor Hidden Service

Edit:

/etc/tor/torrc

Add:

HiddenServiceDir /var/lib/tor/hidden_service
HiddenServicePort 80 127.0.0.1:1234

4. Start Tor

service tor start

5. Get Your .onion Address

After Tor starts, open:

/var/lib/tor/hidden_service/hostname

You’ll see something like:

abcdefgh12345678.onion

That’s your site.

Notes

• The service runs entirely on your local machine
• No domain registration is required
• No public exposure — only accessible via Tor

Why This Is Interesting

This setup lets you:

• Host a website without revealing your IP
• Avoid traditional hosting entirely
• Experiment with anonymous services

It’s a surprisingly powerful system for something that runs on a single machine.