Introduction[edit]

Note: all networks differ in their threat model and security! Conduct careful research before relying upon an alternative network for anonymity purposes.

Whonix ™ can be paired with any other suitable anonymizing network. This means the other network will be tunneled through Tor.

In theory Tor could be completely replaced with another suitable anonymizing network; see Whonix ™ Framework. Development in this area has stalled due to a lack of interest from users, upstream developers and Whonix ™ developers. Interested readers can refer to the Inspiration entry, which outlines some research in addition to theoretical and practical work completed to date.

In general, the Whonix ™ Framework is agnostic about which anonymizing network is in use. The primary reason Whonix ™ started with Tor was because all developers were Tor users. It only occurred to developers much later on that alternatives could be used.

Unlike the Tor network, at the moment Whonix ™ support for other anonymizing networks is fairly rudimentary. Although Whonix ™ developers have great respect for Tor alternatives, along with their developers and users, they are simply more accustomed to the Tor network (which is also a personal preference). It is also very difficult to simultaneously stay up-to-date, maintain equal interest, and be fully educated about a host of other anonymizing networks.

In the event a new developer joins the Whonix ™ project who actively supports a Tor alternative, then equal support could be provided. For example, there is not much point in a separate 'JonDoBOX', if most of the knowledge and code is shared.

Links: Other Anonymizing Networks[edit]

Readers who are interested in replacing or pairing Tor with alternative networks in Whonix ™ should refer to the links below.

Table: Alternative Anonymizing Networks

Network	Available Content
Freenet	Introduction Inproxies inside Whonix-Workstation ™ Freenet in Whonix-Workstation ™ (Freenet over Tor) Freenet in Whonix-Gateway ™ (FreenetBOX); see Inspiration
I2P	Introduction; see Inspiration Browse Eepsites using I2P Inproxies in Whonix-Workstation ™ Install I2P in Whonix-Workstation ™ (I2P over Tor) Install I2P in Whonix-Gateway ™ (I2PBOX); see Inspiration
JonDonym	Introduction Connect to Tor before JonDonym Connect to JonDonym before Tor JonDonym as a Tor replacement (JonDoBOX); see Inspiration ^[1]
Proxies + Tor	Introduction; see Tunnel Support Connect to Tor before a Proxy Connect to a Proxy before Tor Proxies as a Tor replacement (ProxyBOX); see Inspiration ^[1] Depending on proxy type; see Inspiration ^[1] Transparent proxying method; see Inspiration ^[1] Proxy settings method; see Inspiration ^[1]
RetroShare	RetroShare as an anonymizer; see Inspiration ^[1] RetroShare over Tor; see RetroShare
Remailer	See Remailers: Send Emails without Registration
VPN	Introduction; see Inspiration ^[1] Fail closed mechanism; see VPN Firewall Tunnel Support VPNs in addition to Tor: Connect to Tor before a VPN Connect to a VPN before Tor Combine both methods (pre and post-Tor VPN tunnels) VPNs as a Tor replacement (VPNBOX); see Inspiration ^[1]
ZeroNet	Connect to Tor before ZeroNet