connect to an IRC server on the Tor network using HexChat on Linux
1. Install Tor and HexChat
Ensure you have
Tor installed and running. If not, install it:
sudo apt install tor -y
Start and enable Tor:
sudo systemctl start tor
sudo systemctl enable tor
Check if Tor is running:
systemctl status tor
Also, ensure
HexChat is installed:
sudo apt install hexchat -y
HexChat doesnβt support Tor directly, but you can route it through a
SOCKS5 proxy.
- Open HexChat.
- Go to Settings > Preferences > Network Setup.
- Under Proxy Server, set:
-
Type: SOCKS5 - Host: 127.0.0.1
- Port: 9050
- Leave username/password empty.
3. Add the Tor Hidden Service IRC Server
- In HexChat, go to Network List (
Ctrl + S).
- Click Add and enter a name for the network (e.g., "Tor IRC").
- Click Edit and add the
.onion address of the IRC server in the Server List.
- Example for
OFTC (replace with the real server if different):
```
oftcnet5t37o4bx3.onion/6667
```
- Enable "Use SSL for all servers in this network" if required.
- Uncheck "Use global user information" and enter a nickname.
- Under Connect Commands, add:
```
/msg NickServ IDENTIFY your_nickname your_password
```
4. Connect to the IRC Server
Click
Connect and wait for HexChat to establish a connection.
5. Troubleshooting
- If you get connection refused, verify that Tor is running with:
```bash
systemctl status tor
```
- Check if the
.onion IRC server is online.
- Try port 6697 if SSL is required:
```
oftcnet5t37o4bx3.onion/6697
```
- If you still have issues, check logs by running:
```bash
journalctl -xeu tor
```