App
SpaceRouter Onion is a desktop application that routes your internet traffic through a decentralized mesh network. Once installed, it acts as a local SOCKS5 proxy, sending your traffic through a multi-hop circuit of network nodes so that no single point in the network can see both who you are and what you are doing.
The app downloads the proxy binary, registers it as a background service, and provides a graphical interface for the proxy: starting and stopping it, viewing the active circuit, and browsing nodes on the network.
This page walks through the one-time setup wizard, the main interface, and all available settings.
Supported platforms
The screenshots in this page are from macOS. The Windows and Linux experiences follow the same flow with native installer prompts and elevation dialogs in place of the macOS password prompts (Linux installs the systemd user unit without elevation).
Installation
Download the installer for your platform from the supported platforms. Run the installer and follow the standard OS prompts (drag to Applications on macOS, run the .exe installer on Windows, install the .deb or .rpm on Linux). On first launch, the app opens the setup wizard.
Setup wizard
The first time you launch SpaceRouter Onion, a setup wizard guides you through the installation. You only need to complete this once. If a previous proxy installation is detected, the wizard handles the upgrade automatically.
Step 1: Welcome
The welcome screen introduces SpaceRouter Onion and explains what it does. If a previous proxy installation is detected, a notice appears (for example: Existing proxy detected. It will be uninstalled before proceeding.).
Click Get Started to begin.
Step 2: Choose your client
Select which proxy binary to install:
SpaceRouter Onion — Go: the Go-based implementation
SpaceRouter Onion — Rust: the Rust-based implementation
Both implementations connect to the same network and provide the same privacy guarantees. Click your preferred option; the card highlights to confirm selection and the wizard advances automatically.
Step 3: Download Binary
The wizard shows the version that will be downloaded for your chosen implementation. Click Download to begin. A progress bar tracks the download. Once complete, the wizard advances to the next step automatically.
Step 4: Install Service
SpaceRouter Onion installs itself as a background system service so it starts automatically:
macOS: installs a
launchduser agent (com.spacerouter.proxy)Windows: installs a Windows service (
SpaceRouterProxy, requires administrator privileges)Linux: installs a
systemd --userunit (proxy, no elevation required)
Click Install Service to proceed.
You may be prompted to enter your macOS password (or accept a Windows UAC dialog) to authorize the installation. This is expected; installing a system service requires administrator privileges. Linux user units install without elevation.
Step 5: Select Network
Choose which network this proxy will connect to. The dropdown is populated from the discovery backend.
Click the Network dropdown.
Select your network.
Click Save & Continue.
If no networks appear yet, the proxy may still be initializing. Wait a few seconds and the list will populate. You can also click Skip and configure the network later from Settings.
Step 6: Done
Setup is complete. SpaceRouter Onion is installed and running. The summary confirms your configuration:
Implementation: Go or Rust
Version: the installed
proxyversionDiscovery: the configured backend
Network: the selected network ID
Click Open SpaceRouter Onion to launch the main interface.
Proxy tab
The Proxy tab is the home screen of the app.
Proxy off
When the proxy is inactive, the status reads "No active circuit". The Chrome Extension Required notice is shown; the SpaceRouter Onion Chrome Extension is required to configure your browser proxy and control the connection. See SpaceRouter Onion extension.
To start the proxy, click the Start link in the status bar at the bottom of the window.
Proxy on
When the proxy is running, the status reads "Active Circuit" in teal. Your traffic is now being routed through the mesh.
The active circuit is displayed:
Circuit · 3 hops. Traffic passes through three nodes before reaching the internet.
Protocol: the transport protocol in use (for example,
quic).
Each hop shows its role, country flag, IP address, port, and a truncated public key fingerprint:
Guard
First hop. Your traffic enters the network here.
Mid
Intermediate relay node.
Exit
Last hop. Traffic leaves the mesh and reaches the internet.
The flow is: Extension → Guard → Mid → Exit → Internet
To stop the proxy, click the Stop link in the status bar.
Selection modes
Selection mode controls how circuit nodes are picked. Set it from the Proxy tab or from Settings.
Random (default)
Selects nodes at random from the discovery list
Fast
Prefers geographically nearby nodes as a proxy for lower latency
Maximize privacy
Maximizes geographic diversity across hops
Changing the selection mode takes effect on the next circuit build.
Nodes tab
The Nodes tab lists all known nodes in the connected SpaceRouter Onion network. Use it to understand the network topology and verify which nodes are in your circuit.
Country
Geographic location (flag icon)
IP
Node IP address
TCP
TCP port
QUIC
QUIC port
Exit
Marked if the node can serve as an exit
Public key
Truncated key fingerprint
In circuit
Role in your active circuit (Guard, Mid, Exit). Blank if not in use.
A toggle filter at the top of the table restricts the view to nodes participating in the current active circuit.
Console tab
The Console tab streams output from the proxy process. Useful for troubleshooting.
Level filter
Show All, Info, Warn, or Error messages
Auto-scroll
Pin the view to the latest log line
Refresh
Reload the log stream
Clear
Empty the log buffer in the viewer
Settings tab
The Settings tab is scrollable and divided into sections.
Binary and service
This panel is read-only and reflects the current installation state.
Implementation
Go or Rust
Version
Installed proxy version
Install path
Binary location on disk
Service status
Running, Stopped, Not installed, or Unknown
Service name
com.spacerouter.proxy (macOS), SpaceRouterProxy (Windows), or proxy (Linux systemd user unit)
Click Refresh to re-check the service status.
Discovery and network
Network ID
No (applied via API)
Network to connect to
Hops
No (applied via API)
Number of hops per circuit (default 3)
SOCKS port
No (applied via API)
Local port the proxy listens on (default 1080)
Discovery itself is configured during installation and only re-exposed in developer mode. Fields marked "via API" are applied through the proxy's HTTP control API without restarting the service.
Actions
Restart Service
Stop and restart the background service
Reset to Setup Wizard
Re-run the wizard without removing the binary or service; the wizard detects the existing installation and skips completed steps
Uninstall Proxy
Remove the binary and service registration, then return to the setup wizard
Status bar
A persistent bar at the bottom of every screen shows the state of both status layers at a glance.
Service indicator (left side): the OS-level service process. Click Stop to stop it, or Start when it is stopped.
Proxy indicator (right side): the SOCKS5 proxy itself, toggled through the HTTP API. Click Stop to disable, or Start to enable.
Both indicators must be green for traffic to route through SpaceRouter Onion. A running service with a stopped proxy (or vice versa) does not forward traffic.
Service running
Background service is active. Click Stop to stop it.
Service stopped
Background service is not running. The proxy cannot function without it.
Proxy on
Traffic is actively routed through the mesh. Click Stop to disable.
Proxy off
Proxy is inactive. Traffic goes directly to the internet. Click Start to enable.
The version line shows the installed binary version, the implementation (Go or Rust), and the discovery method.
The service and the proxy are two separate things. The service is the background process that keeps the proxy available. The proxy is the active routing circuit. Both must be running for Privacy enabled to appear.
Chrome Extension
The Chrome Extension Required notice on the Proxy tab is expected. The SpaceRouter Onion Chrome Extension is needed to configure your browser to route traffic through the local SOCKS proxy and to control the proxy connection from your browser. Install it from the Chrome Web Store to activate the full privacy workflow. See SpaceRouter Onion extension for the full reference.
Appendix A: Service management
The app manages the proxy binary as a background service so the proxy can run independently of the desktop window. The service starts on user login and survives app restarts.
macOS
The app writes a launchd property list to:
The service label is com.spacerouter.proxy. The app uses launchctl to load, start, stop, and unload the service. Service status is checked with launchctl list. Installing and uninstalling the service triggers a macOS password prompt because launchctl bootstrap and launchctl bootout require authorization.
Windows
The app registers a Windows Service named SpaceRouterProxy using sc.exe. Service status is checked with sc query SpaceRouterProxy. Installing and uninstalling the service triggers a UAC elevation prompt.
Linux
The app installs a systemd --user unit named proxy. Service status is checked with systemctl --user status proxy. Installing and uninstalling the unit do not require elevation because the unit is scoped to the current user.
All other operations (starting and stopping the proxy, changing preferences, downloading binaries, checking status) run without elevation on every platform.
Appendix B: Binary install paths
macOS
~/Library/Application Support/SpaceRouter/bin/proxy
Windows
%APPDATA%\SpaceRouter\bin\proxy.exe
Linux
~/.local/share/SpaceRouter/bin/proxy
The setup wizard downloads the binary to these paths. The service configuration references the binary at its install path. Moving or renaming the binary breaks the service; use Uninstall Proxy in settings and re-run the wizard instead.
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