How to Install Tor Browser on Manjaro 21 Linux

Tor, also referred to as The Onion Router, is open-source, free software that permits anonymous communication using online services like web surfing. The Tor network directs the web traffic through an accessible worldwide volunteer overlay network with over six thousand relays and continues to grow. Many users want to search out more ways to keep their information and activities anonymous or private online due to the increasing concerns over data and work snooping. However, users should be aware of both the advantages and disadvantages of using Tor before deciding whether or not it is the right tool for them.

While Tor provides a high degree of anonymity, it is not perfect. Due to the way the network routes traffic, it can be slow, making it impractical for some uses. In addition, because traffic is encrypted, some sites that use anti-Tor measures can block all traffic from the network, preventing users from accessing them. Despite these drawbacks, Tor remains a popular tool for those seeking a higher degree of anonymity online.

The following tutorial will teach you how to install Tor Browser on Manjaro 21 Linux. The tutorial will use the command line terminal with yay AUR helper. Ideally, most users may be using some wrapper for Pacman; for new users, it is essential to install one to keep your packages up-to-date while you learn Arch/Manjaro.

Update Manjaro Linux

First, update your system to ensure all existing packages are up to date. This will ensure no conflicts arise as best as possible during the installation.

sudo pacman -Syu

Install Tor Browser – AUR Method

The easiest option for the average desktop user environment is to install Tor Browser with the AUR, making updating the browser binary in the future much easier and quicker.

Install yay Helper

To begin the installation, you must have GIT installed to import the yay repository to install/build. From your command terminal, use the following code to begin the installation.

sudo pacman -S --needed --noconfirm base-devel git

Now clone the yay archive using the following terminal command.

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay-git.git

Next, move the archive to the /OPT/ directory. This is a good location for any other archive installs, keep everything located, and traditionally the guide is a commonly used area for different applications.

sudo mv yay-git /opt/

Now navigate to the yay-git directory location.

cd /opt/yay-git

Next, you should set the permissions of the folder to that of the current user account, or else you will need to add the sudo command to the command following after this if you skip it.

sudo chown -R $user:$user /opt/yay-git

Build the package using the makepkg command.

makepkg -si

Install Tor Browser

Now that you have installed the yay package management helper, you can install the software using the following command.

yay -S tor-browser --noconfirm

Remove –noconfirm to manually go through the installation questions instead of selecting the default answers.

Install Tor Browser – Manual Method

The second installation option is to install Tor Browser using the latest archive from the downloads page. This method gives you the newest version, but sometimes you must repeat the process for significant browser changes. But for the most part, it should self-update in the browser itself.

First, use the wget command to download the latest .tar.xz link.

Example:

wget https://www.torproject.org/dist/torbrowser/{version}/tor-browser-linux64-{version}_en-US.tar.xz

Replace the command above where {version} is with the current one from the download page.

Once you have downloaded the installation archive, extract it using:

Example only:

tar -xvJf tor-browser-linux64-{version}_en-US.tar.xz

Now, CD into the directory with.

cd tor-browser*

To start Tor Browser and set up configuration installation, use the following command:

./start-tor-browser.desktop 

Note that this will launch Tor Browser. However, you will not see it in your Show Applications menu. To install the Tor Browser icon, you will need to add –register-app to the end of the command as follows:

./start-tor-browser.desktop --register-app

Launch & Configure Tor Browser

Now that you have the Tor Browser installed, launching can be done in a few ways.

tor-browser

The Tor Browser can be launched from the applications menu by following the path.

Taskbar > Internet > Tor Browser.

Example:

Once launched, you will arrive at the Connect to Tor window. From here, you can connect straight away or configure the Tor Browser settings.

Example (Click Image to Expand):

Most users would use Connect by default, but optionally you can configure different settings like proxies.

Tor Network can use proxy settings for countries with tight restrictions or users who want more privacy to use proxy connections. Please make sure you are not breaking any laws using this.

Example (Click Image to Expand):

My advice, however, would be to personally use a clean private proxy with TOR if you can afford it or in a country that is heavily restricted in its citizen’s freedom.

Additionally, Tor now has brides which you can request or set some pre-made ones that can help evade blocks, as many websites often block TOR entirely, or for websites even such as linuxcapable.com, usually if a malicious attacker uses TOR my automatic security rules can block that node for a while.

Example:

You can also request a bridge, and this may suit most users. From here, you can remove the bridges afterward to generate new ones.

Example:

In the tutorial, the method used was to connect straight to the network as most users would. When you click connect, Depending on your location, it may take 2 to 10 seconds to connect to the network, and you will see this message while connecting.

Once connected, you will get the following page.

Example (Click Image to Expand):

Congratulations, you have connected to the Tor Network through your Tor Browser.

Tor Onion Services

When using Tor Browser, you can elect to use part of the Online services of the Tor Network instead of regular websites. The websites, however, must be available in this format, and if they are, they use a .onion address.

For those unfamiliar with onion services, they are anonymous network services that are exposed over the Tor network. In contrast to conventional Internet services, onion services are private, generally not indexed by search engines, and use self-certifying domain names long and complex for humans to read.

Some notable sites using .onion services are:

• The New York Times (https://www.nytimes3xbfgragh.onion)
• DuckDuckGo (3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion)
• ProtonMail (https://protonirockerxow.onion)

To see more services visit the wiki page List of Tor onion services.

Comments and Conclusion

Tor is a valuable tool for maintaining privacy, but it should not be considered the only solution. It is important to remember that Tor is not perfect and can be compromised. Always use caution when browsing or communicating online, especially when sharing personal information.