The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) is a fully encrypted private network layer. It uses a distributed network database and encrypted unidirectional tunnels between your and your peers.
Basic differences between Tor and i2p:
| Tor | i2p | |
|---|---|---|
| Routing | Onion | Garlic |
| Network Database | Trusted Directory Servers | Distributed network database |
| Relay | Two-way encrypted connections between each Relay | One-way connections between every server in its tunnels |
| Hidden services | Slow | Fast |
Comparison in detail: https://geti2p.net/en/comparison/tor
Ports required by i2p:
-
Outbound (Internet facing): a random port between 9000 and 31000 is selected however its better if all ports are open and it doesn't affect your security. You can check firewall status using
sudo ufw status verbosewhich shouldn't deny outgoing by default. -
Inbound (Internet facing): Optional
Local ports: https://geti2p.net/en/faq#ports
It is not installed by Bitcoin Standup right now as i2p support was recently added in Bitcoin core. However, you can try it manually by following the steps mentioned in Section One.
After working through this chapter, a developer will be able to:
- Run Bitcoin Core as an I2P (Invisible Internet Project) service
Supporting objectives include the ability to:
- Understand the i2p Network
- Learn difference between Tor and i2p