OnionShare Settings

In most cases, no further configuration is required. In certain scenarios, however, you can check out the settings below the gear icon (Figure 4). For example, to run a permanently active OnionShare server, you need to enable Public mode and Use persistent address.

Figure 4: You can configure OnionShare via the settings. Most important are the options below General settings and Onion settings.

Public mode disables a measure that is actually fairly well established as a security function (see the "Slug Protection" box). The second option tells OnionShare to always use the same address. This setting affects privacy but does let you make a share or upload option accessible via OnionShare for a longer period of time. Setting both options is therefore recommended if you are setting up an upload server.

But if you want to provide data as a user, and only for a short time – or only for one person – the Use auto-stop timer and Stop sharing after files have been sent options can help. If you activate the timer, OnionShare will display a dialog when starting the service stating Stop the share at; you can now set a time at which OnionShare will automatically remove the share from the network. Alternatively, the program disables sharing as soon as a user has downloaded the files.

Conclusions

OnionShare is a practical tool even if you are not seeking protection from persecution as a whistle-blower. Without accounts, without commercial cloud services, and without any additional router configuration, you can easily exchange data with other network participants. Your own IP address remains hidden, as do the IP addresses of your contacts. The Tor client included in OnionShare and the Tor Browser with its privacy optimizations ensure that even inexperienced users will receive protection.