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I am running a relay with the tor-0.4.3.0-alpha-dev distribution, which I installed as a noob mistake. Is it okay to continue with this version? If not, then do I just do a standard apt-get uninstall and install a more stable version? If so, which? I have already changed /etc/apt/sources.list to use ...torproject.org bionic main.

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  • If you use Docker, your management will be a lot easier. I wrote an article about how to set it up.
    – Birb
    Nov 2, 2019 at 21:01

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Yes, it's absolutely fine to run a alpha version of Tor as a relay if and only if you're a relatively advanced user.

First of all, alpha's need testing. However, be prepared for bugs and please only do this if you're also going to report the ones you encounter too.

Secondly the Tor network also gains resilience from different Tor versions running on different OS and hardware platforms. It helps diffuse the possibility that any one bug affects the entire network.

You can see in the Tor consensus document, that some alpha versions are defined as recommended versions for servers (I.E. they are considered suitable for use as relays).

server-versions 0.2.9.15, 0.2.9.16, 0.2.9.17, 0.3.5.8, 0.4.0.5, 0.4.0.6, 0.4.1.2-alpha, 0.4.1.3-alpha, 0.4.1.4-rc, 0.4.1.5, 0.4.1.6, 0.4.1.7, 0.4.2.1-alpha, 0.4.2.2-alpha, 0.4.2.3-alpha

You can easily check the current list at: consensus-health.torproject.org

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  • That's good to know about running alpha version and the list of recommended versions, but I'm not an advanced user, so I switched to the default package, currently 0.4.1.6.
    – Doc
    Oct 25, 2019 at 18:39
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I'd stick with an official release version of Tor, just because it'll get more attention and updates if there's anything amiss. apt-get remove tor; apt-get install tor should do the trick to get you onto a release version, and should maintain your existing configuration.

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  • Yes, those instructions did the trick without a hitch. I appreciate the help.
    – Doc
    Oct 25, 2019 at 18:34
  • @womble: i'd rather advise to use apt-get remove tor && apt-get install tor. ;-) Oct 26, 2019 at 8:10

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