Many IRC networks support Tor for connecting, including **Ircnow**.

You can check **Ircnow's** Tor servers from the following table:\\

### IRC Servers (by alphabetical hostname order)

|| border=1 width=100%25 class="sortable simpletable"

||# IPv4 Server ||# IPv6 Server ||# Tor Server ||# Plain-text port ||# encrypted port || 

||# Associate Servers ||# ||# ||# ||# || 

|| ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
irc.bsdforall.org##ENDCODEBLOCK##
 || ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
irc6.bsdforall.org##ENDCODEBLOCK##
 || ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
bsdnetoezbtsbrzlnrgxn7iv6qokouuyr4dkd7f2xt6fmmacvi2kjjad.onion##ENDCODEBLOCK##
 || 6667 || 6697  ||

|| ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
irc.ircforever.org##ENDCODEBLOCK##
 || ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
irc6.ircforever.org##ENDCODEBLOCK##
 || ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
6sntav3syf2yls5a.onion##ENDCODEBLOCK##
 || 6667 || 6697  

|| ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
irc.ircnow.org##ENDCODEBLOCK##
 || ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
irc6.ircnow.org##ENDCODEBLOCK##
 || ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
4ufrikyorlatp5ekgz6tlre22v6b5jxqbiid6cp7nuhemklukiohidqd.onion##ENDCODEBLOCK##
  || 6667 || 6697  ||

|| ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
irc.thunderirc.net##ENDCODEBLOCK##
 || ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
irc6.thunderirc.net##ENDCODEBLOCK##
 || ##STARTCODEBLOCK##
ircnowww2n24aluccfzydqelohej55yrgfkpnp6jc6geijmqht6w77yd.onion##ENDCODEBLOCK##
 || 6667 || 6697  || 



**The OFTC Network**\\

For another example, the OFTC network supports Tor directly as well and no registration is needed, for OFTC just use one of the following addresses:\\

*irc.oftc.net:6697

*oftcnet6xg6roj6d7id4y4cu6dchysacqj2ldgea73qzdagufflqxrid.onion:6697

\\

**SASL may be needed**\\

For some networks you may need to configure SASL for access via Tor. For information on how to do that on _irssi_ check this out for the liberachat network:\\

`/SERVER ADD -ssl -ssl_verify -ssl_capath /etc/ssl/certs -network liberachat -port 6697 irc.libera.chat`\\

`/NETWORK ADD -sasl_mechanism plain -sasl_username [username] -sasl_password [password] liberachat`\\

Restart Irssi, connect to the network and look for SASL authentication succeeded message. \\

\\

**Connecting to a shell through Tor**\\

If one is looking for anonymity but doesn't mind revealing the shell being used, the user can connect to a shell (eg. freeirc shell) via Tor and use IRC directly from there:\\

# Install Whonix Gateway and Whonix Workstation to Virtualbox virtualization software:

## Download Virtualbox for your architecture/distribution and install it

## Download the Whonix Workstation and Gateway from Whonix.org and follow their guide to install the system to Virtualbox

# Use Whonix Workstation to connect through Whonix Gateway (which is Tor-routed) to the shell\\

Now you connect to the shell via Tor.

## Boot the Whonix Gateway and Workstation from Virtualbox, (the Workstation uses the Gateway to connect via Tor).

## Login to the Workstation

## Type `ssh [user]@[server]` and press enter

## Enter the password and you are logged in to your shell server from the Tor network

**To connect from the most used IRC clients**\\

_irssi_\\

`/connect [server] [port]`\\

_hexchat_\\

`/server [server] [port]`