Tor v2, which has been in service for over a decade, is being retired. On October 15, 2021, all v2 versions will be no longer supported. With the ongoing development of the .onion services have moved forward, version 2 gave a stable possibility to use the services, but a product which is already more than 15 years old in the development time becomes obsolete.
What is v3 and what are its characteristics?
The easiest way to recognize the v3 version is by its address. Correct address (v2) had the length of 16 characters and address (v3) 56 characters, addresses can consist only of numbers “2” to “7” and letters “a” to “z” + onion ends.
-(v2) http://cannahome3ke3366.onion
-(v3) http://cannahomeh4fdrhe4p35ppes2honnrum2qhjh3feub2fs5eo4zqleyad.onion
What will actualization to v3 give us?
First of all, v3 will allow us to avoid DDoS attacks much more than the previous version. Also, tor network has been struggling with the problem of scams and outdated sites for a long time. When all the old addresses will no longer work there will be more transparency than before. Many sites will disappear forever which will make you feel safer. The main goal of v3 is to increase the security and privacy of users.
v3 errors?
Version v3 is supported since 2018 and is constantly improved and debugged. Onion version v3 is functional and its capabilities allow to retire version 2: Version 2 has finished its run. Run its circle, which has provided security and privacy to countless people around the world. But more importantly, it created and propelled a new era of private and secure communications.
Retirement
News Version v3
New onion service will put user’s safety first
will onion icon markings be added to the address bar?
When you browse The Onion Service, Tor Browser displays various onion icons in the address bar to indicate the safety of the current web page.
The Onion Service is served over HTTP, or HTTPS with a CA-Issued certificate.
The Onion Service is served over HTTPS with a Self-Signed certificate.
The Onion Service is served with a script from an unsecured URL.
The Onion Service is served over HTTPS with an expired certificate.
The Onion Service is served over HTTPS with an invalid domain.
The Onion Service is served in a mixed form over an unsecured URL.
Important for owners of their onion sites!
If you are an administrator of Onion services, you need to upgrade to Onion services v3 as soon as possible. If you are a user, make sure you have updated your bookmarks to onion services v3 URLs.
What is the timeline for v2 deprecation?
In September 2020, Tor began warning Onion service providers and customers that v2 would be deprecated and deprecated in version 0.4.6. The Tor Browser began warning users in June 2021.
In July 2021, 0.4.6 Tor will no longer support v2 and support will be removed from the codebase.
In October 2021, we will release new stable versions of the Tor client for all supported series that will disable v2.
How do I upgrade my Onion to v3?
Moving from v2 to v3
This section details how to configure a v3 service from an existing v2 service. Unfortunately, there is no mechanism for cross-certifying the two addresses.
In torrc, to create a version 3 address, simply add these two lines. The default version is now set to 3, so you don’t need to explicitly set it.
HiddenServiceDir /full/path/to/your/hs/v3/directory/
HiddenServicePort <virtualport> <target-address>:<target-port>
Finally, if you want to continue running the version 2 service until it is deprecated to provide users with a transition path, add this line to the version 2 service configuration block:
HiddenServiceVersion 2V
This will identify in the configuration file which version is which.
Our website will keep updating links to v3 for you. Happy surfing!
disclaimer: This article is based on information from (https://blog.torproject.org/v2-deprecation-timeline) If you have more questions or are looking for more in-depth information please contact us at the address indicated.