Why run a node behind Tor

PotCoin is a transparent Proof-of-Stake chain — everything on-chain is public. That's by design. But the network layer is a different story: every peer you connect to sees your IP address as soon as you broadcast a transaction or a staked block. Running the daemon behind Tor closes that gap by tunneling all P2P traffic through the Tor anonymity network.

Who this is for

  • Node operators who don't want their home/office IP logged by every peer
  • Stakers running a 24/7 validator who'd rather not advertise its location
  • Anyone on a restricted or surveilled network

This is optional. The chain works fine without Tor — it's just an extra layer of operational privacy.

Step-by-step

  1. Install Tor

   # Debian / Ubuntu / Raspberry Pi OS
   $ sudo apt update && sudo apt install tor

# macOS
   $ brew install tor

# Windows: download Tor Expert Bundle from torproject.org

  1. Make sure Tor is running on port 9050

   $ sudo systemctl enable --now tor
   $ ss -lnt | grep 9050
   LISTEN  0  4096  127.0.0.1:9050  0.0.0.0:*

  1. Edit your potcoin.conf

Path: ~/.potcoin/potcoin.conf on Linux/macOS or %APPDATA%\PotCoin\potcoin.conf on Windows.

   # Route all P2P traffic through Tor
   proxy=127.0.0.1:9050
   onlynet=ipv4
   listen=0
   discover=0

# Optional: only connect to onion seeds
   # onlynet=onion

  1. Restart the daemon

   $ potcoind stop
   $ potcoind -daemon

  1. Verify Tor is in use

   $ potcoind getnetworkinfo | grep -A2 networks
   # look for: "name": "ipv4", "proxy": "127.0.0.1:9050"

$ potcoind getpeerinfo | head -30
   # external addresses should be onion or your VPN exit

  1. Confirm DNS is also tunneled

   $ potcoind getnetworkinfo | grep -i nameproxy
   # nameproxy should equal proxy — DNS leaks defeat the whole point

Seed nodes vs staking nodes
The public seed nodes (seeds.potcoin.com) stay non-Tor on purpose so new wallets can find peers. Personal staking/validator nodes that hold funds — yours — are the ones that benefit most from being behind Tor.

Don't reuse the daemon's wallet over the regular internet
Once you've configured Tor, never start the daemon without it — that one accidental boot leaks your IP to every peer that connects in the first 60 seconds.