Confirm the role before deployment
Review the host’s current written policy for the precise relay type. Obtain explicit permission for Tor exit traffic where required. A general hosting page does not grant blanket approval or replace advice on the applicable rules.
Budget sustained resources
Choose a machine for the bandwidth and CPU you can reliably contribute. The Warden tier is a catalogue candidate, but actual network policy and sustained throughput must be confirmed.
Use official software
Install a supported Tor release, define the intended relay role and set an appropriate bandwidth limit. Protect the administrative account and do not reuse private service keys casually.
Monitor a useful signal
Check reachability, resource consumption and the public relay information using the relevant Tor tools. A new relay’s role and weight are determined by the network, not by a marketing promise.
Keep the responsibilities distinct
A relay is not an onion-hosted website or a personal VPN. Understand the separate implications before combining roles, and keep abuse handling and contact details deliberate.
Choose resources for this workload
A relay uses sustained transfer and stable availability rather than a large application database. Compare Warden or a larger tier after estimating bandwidth, memory and other workloads. Confirm the permitted relay role and network terms before ordering.
Middle and guard relay rollout
Use the maintained upstream instructions for the selected release. The sequence below identifies the decisions and pass conditions to record in your own runbook.
- Choose a middle or guard role deliberately; an exit role has different policy needs
- Install Tor from the supported upstream packaging path
- Set relay identity, contact information, ports and bandwidth limits
- Validate configuration and start the supervised service
- Check reachability and the published relay descriptor
- Monitor service health and upgrades without treating a new relay as instantly trusted by the network
Official documentation: Maintained upstream setup guidance
What to verify before relying on it
Retain relay identity material securely and understand how replacement affects it. No KoalaVPS exit-relay approval, throughput or consensus weight is promised by this catalogue.
A little more clarity.
Does this use case include a managed application installation?
No. It describes a workload for customer-administered infrastructure. Application setup, updates, moderation, licensing and recovery remain your responsibility unless a separate managed agreement says otherwise.