What is tor browser
Tor browser is a free and open-source browser like Firefox. It hides your IP and identity while you are browsing websites in this browser. You can use the internet anonymously. It redirects your requests to at least three nodes. It consists of 7 thousand relays. This browser was first released on 20 September 2002. When you sent a request to the tor browser by typing any web address then it first sends your request to any random node. That random node forwards your requests to another node and finally, your request goes to the third node. The final node sends your actual request to the website server. As your request goes through different nodes so your identity is safe from other people. Your ISP (internet service provider) only knows that you are using the tor browser but it does not know which websites you visit using the tor browser.
Tor is a short form of The Onion Router. Each node in this network acts as an onion layer. You can go from one node router to other.
Some pros and cons of tor browser are explained below:-
Advantages of tor browser
It’s free: Tor is free and open-source. You can download it free on various operating systems like Windows, Mac OS, UNIX, and Linux.
Hides your information: It hides your IP and other data while browsing websites.
Network security: The websites you open in this network is secured and encrypted. This browser has a DuckDuckGo search engine and it has high security. Your privacy is safe by using this browser.
Democratic activities: You can do democratic activities easily by using tor. You are free to post anything on the web by hiding yourself.
Deep web access: You can access the deep web and blocked websites through this network.
Non-index pages: You can also access the non-indexed pages in Bing, Google and other search engines.
.onion websites: This browser support .onion websites and .onion websites are only opened through this browser. Onion websites are related to the deep web.
Disadvantages of tor browser
Slow network: The web browsing through the tor browser is slow because it involves redirecting through at least 3 nodes.
Startup time: This browser takes some time to load first time because it connects with available node servers. The startup time of this browser is much higher than other browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
Large Files: You cannot download and upload large files through this network.
Slow performance: Browsing websites is slow as it involves routing your data through different nodes. Streaming videos is also slow. You should have the high internet speed to use the tor browser. The speed in tor is relatively high than using a free VPN (a virtual private network).
Illegal use: Most users use this browser for illegal activities so it is not recommended for bad actions.
Old interface: The browser has an old style of fonts and look and feel. Its look like an old Netscape browser. The latest version of tor has a Firefox engine behind it but most Firefox add-ons do not install on the tor browser.
Not fully secure: The data you input to the website is not encrypted. As you anonymously visit the websites in this browser so Tor does not care the data be encrypted or not.
Conclusion:
If you want to open blocked websites without using VPN then you can use the Tor browser. Your online activities are hidden from ISP. But you should know that you are still traceable by government agencies if you use tor for illegal activities.