Dark web basics
Everything you need to understand the dark web from first principles — what it is, how it works, and how it fits with the rest of the internet.
What is the dark web?
The clearest possible definition, and how it relates to the surface and deep web.
BasicsHow does the dark web work?
Onion routing, relays and .onion services, explained without the jargon.
BasicsWhat is on the dark web?
The honest picture: legitimate sites, criminal ones, and the fakes.
BasicsDeep web vs dark web
The difference in one clear picture — and why the iceberg image is wrong.
BasicsDark web vs surface web
The open everyday web versus the hidden Tor-only layer.
BasicsIs the dark web dangerous?
An honest risk assessment: what can hurt you, and what can't.
BasicsIs the dark web illegal?
Where the law draws the line between using Tor and committing a crime.
BasicsIs Tor illegal?
Whether using Tor itself is legal, and where it's restricted.
BasicsWhat is Tor?
The browser and network that make the dark web reachable.
BasicsWhat is a .onion address?
Why dark web addresses are 56 characters of apparent nonsense.
BasicsAre red rooms real?
The dark web's most persistent myth, debunked.
BasicsDark web statistics
The real numbers, and which dramatic figures to distrust.
BasicsHistory of the dark web
From naval research to Silk Road to today, in one timeline.
Basics — common questions
What is the dark web in simple terms?
It's the part of the internet you can only reach with special software like the Tor Browser, using .onion addresses that normal browsers and search engines can't open. Instead of connecting directly, Tor encrypts your traffic in layers and routes it through at least three randomly selected relays — an entry node, a middle node, and an exit node — so no single relay knows both the origin and the destination. Modern .onion addresses are usually 56-character strings of letters and digits, generated from the site's public key, and they are not indexed by standard search engines like Google or Bing. This design makes the dark web a small, anonymity-focused corner of the wider deep web, used both for privacy protection and for less lawful activities.
Is the dark web and deep web the same thing?
No. The deep web is everything behind a login or paywall — email, banking, private files — and is most of the internet. The dark web is a tiny, separate part reachable only through Tor.
Do you need Tor to access the dark web?
For almost all of it, yes. The dark web is built on the Tor network, and .onion sites can only be opened in the Tor Browser or another Tor-enabled tool.