[tor-talk] Is DNS required to connect to an entry node?

[Roger Dingledine]

On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 11:02:54PM +0200, Aeris wrote:
> > Every time you enter a URL in the browser address line, your browser
> > requests the IP address of that URL from the DNS server.  You can
> > instead enter the IP address yourself along with the webpage requested.
> > You could also just make your own entry in a HOSTS file if you know how
> > to do it.  Caveat, do not mess with HOSTS unless you know what you are
> > doing!
> 
> But for Tor nodes, Tor client doesn't use hostname but IP directly.
> There is no need of DNS, consensus is only IP-based.

Correct -- Tor clients don't do DNS requests of any sort.

For reaching the Tor relays that they want to reach, they just use the
IP address directly.

And when asking the Tor network to connect to, say, indymedia.org for
them, they write "indymedia.org port 443" in a "begin" cell and send it
down the circuit to the exit relay, and it's the exit relay that resolves
it (using its own DNS) and then connects.

--Roger