The Complete Beginner's Guide to Setting Up I2P

I2P (Invisible Internet Project) is a secure and anonymous network that allows you to browse the internet with greater privacy and security, protect your online identity, and bypass censorship. Although it may seem complicated, setting up I2P is a straightforward process that even complete beginners can follow. Unfortunately, there aren't many tutorials available online, which is why we've created this comprehensive guide to help you get started.

Installation

Before you start, you'll need to install Java for your operating system. Once that's done, follow these steps:

  1. Go to http://www.geti2p.net and download and install I2P.
  2. Start I2P.
  3. Open your browser (Firefox is preferred) and go to http://127.0.0.1:7657/home if it doesn't open automatically.

On First Glance

When you first open I2P, you'll want to configure your bandwidth to your desired settings. The default is half of your internet speed. Next, open your local tunnels from the left-hand side. In your tunnel list, start the HTTP tunnel if you want to start browsing I2P websites. Note the port on which the tunnel is running, which is normally 4444 for HTTP. Use that port as a proxy by changing the proxy globally on your computer or in your browser to the proxy server 127.0.0.1 and the port of the tunnel, which is 4444. Save your settings, and you can now browse I2P websites. Note that I2P websites are also known as "eepsites."

To connect to IRC, use the proxy server 127.0.0.1 and the port defined on the tunnel page in your IRC client.

Address Book

I2P is a decentralized network, which means you need to manage your DNS yourself. There are two types of addresses:

  1. A big 512-character hash which is the true address. You need this address to add an entry to your address book.
  2. A smaller 32-character hash which can be used as a direct website link to access websites in the form of http://<32bit character>.b32.i2p. You need this address if you want to browse a website that is not on your address book.
  3. A small .i2p website name which you can click to access if you have its address saved on your address book.

There are some jumper services that provide you an address based on a .i2p website name if they have it. You can also add a few jumpers to your subscription list, which will sync their address book with yours. Be careful when choosing a jumper as there is always a chance of leading you to a phished site.

Remember

I2P was designed as an internal network, but recently, outproxies have become available, which allows us to surf outside of I2P. Keep this in mind as you use I2P and browse websites.

By following these steps, you'll be able to start using I2P with ease and browse the web with greater anonymity and security. Good luck!

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Pub: 17 Feb 2023 01:03 UTC
Edit: 17 Feb 2023 01:15 UTC
Views: 2035