Tor bridges are non‑public entry points to the Tor network used to bypass censorship when your ISP or government blocks direct Tor connections. They act like hidden “front‑door” relays that are not listed in the public directory, so they’re harder to block.

What bridges are and how they work

A bridge is a Tor relay whose IP address is not publicly listed, so censors cannot easily block it.​​

When you configure Tor to use a bridge, your traffic goes your device → bridge → Tor network → destination, instead of your device → public Tor entry node.

Some bridges also use pluggable transports (like obfs4, snowflake) that disguise Tor traffic as ordinary HTTPS traffic to defeat deep‑packet inspection.

When to use bridges

Use bridges if:

• Your ISP or country blocks Tor (Tor Browser fails to connect normally).
• If you visit sites like Styx market you should be 100% anonimous.
• You want to hide from your network administrator that you are using Tor (e.g., in restrictive workplaces or schools).

If you are in a country with no Tor blocking, bridges are usually unnecessary; standard Tor Browser is enough.

How to get Tor bridges

You can get bridge addresses from the official Tor Project in a few ways:

Automatic bridges in Tor Browser:

When you start Tor Browser for the first time, choose “Configure” → “Connect with bridges” → “Select a built‑in bridge (recommended)”, then pick a transport such as obfs4 or snowflake.

Email request:

Send an email to bridges@torproject.org from a Gmail or Riseup account; you’ll get back bridge addresses automatically.

Telegram bot:

The Tor Project runs a Telegram bot that can send you fresh bridge addresses; useful for journalists/activists in censored regions.

How to use bridges in Tor Browser (desktop)

Download and open Tor Browser.

On first launch, click “Configure” (or later, go to Settings → Connection → Bridges).

In the Bridges section:

• Choose “Built‑in bridges” (e.g., obfs4 or snowflake). Or
• Choose “Provide a bridge I know” / “Enter bridge addresses you already know” and paste the bridge lines you received (one per line).

Click “Connect”; Tor will now try to reach the network via the bridge.

A few safety tips

Never share your bridge addresses publicly; keep them private so censors cannot block them.

If a bridge stops working, get new ones from the Tor‑project channels above and re‑configure Tor Browser.

Bridges protect your entry into Tor, but you still must follow normal Tor‑safety rules (don’t log in with real accounts, don’t download risky files, etc.).