How to Run a Tor Exit Relay on a No-KYC VPS — Requirements and Reality

Run a Tor exit relay without KYC: which host allows exits, what specs and abuse handling you need, and the honest operational reality. NovaVPS allows exits on request.

Полный текст статьи на английском. Шапка, каталог и оплата переведены.

Exits are a special workload

A middle relay is easy: traffic in, traffic out, few complaints. An exit sends third-party traffic to the internet under your IP — abuse mail follows within days. Most hosts terminate on the first letter. We allow exits on request with an abuse contact, because the AUP judges the operator, not the protocol.

Sizing and policy table

The setup, briefly

1. Provision the VPS (exits: Amsterdam or Bucharest are the classic flags).
2. Install Tor from the Tor Project repo; set ORPort, ContactInfo, a public ExitPolicy (the reduced exit policy limits complaints).
3. Request exit enablement via panel ticket with your abuse contact.
4. Answer abuse mail with the standard Tor templates — boring, effective.
5. Monitor relay health; budget unmetered traffic honestly.

Recommended setup

Plan: Business — 6 vCPU, 16 GB DDR5, unmetered 5 Gbps, $20/mo. Location: Amsterdam — AMS-IX throughput for a busy exit. Start as a bridge today; scale to exit after the request.